


Out of the Blue

by xnemone



Category: Naruto
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Assault, Clubbing, Color Blindness, Conspiracy Theories, Dating, Holidays, Insults, M/M, Murder, Religion, Sexual Content, Texting, interesting mix of outdated americanized slice of life and true crime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 12:48:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 54,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30005121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xnemone/pseuds/xnemone
Summary: Sasuke never believed in soulmates. For a while, he thought of them as nothing more than a government ploy. But Naruto came into his life and changed things.(Uploaded in 2021 - old fic)
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written by an angsty teen in 2017. I found it in my drafts and it has a good premise. I've tried to tag it to the best of my abilities with a skim-through, but frankly, it makes me cringe to look back on my old work so I didn't read very carefully. My apologies. I hope you enjoy it if you choose to read it.

Sasuke never really believed in his soulmate. He considers the whole idea a bunch of government-controlled garbage used to generate a better society. Even when his classmates started finding theirs and looking around them at the world wondrously, he didn't get it. So what if the world exists in shades of gray? He doesn't need some idiot barging in and changing the way he sees everything.

Today is his first day of college. Sasuke moved into his apartment a few days before school started. He doesn't have a roommate, and he does have a nice view of campus.

Classes start and everything is going fine. Sasuke doesn't make any friends, but that is pretty normal for him. He's been a reclusive person ever since his parents were killed.

He managed to get into a selective college. His intelligence also sets him apart from the rest. He's always first to turn in his assignment, always gets the best grades on tests, always gets an approving nod from professors.

They say that you know who your soulmate is because you'll be drawn to them. Your souls are intertwined by fate, and therefore the universe pulls them towards each other. Of course, plenty of people never get soulmates and remain colorblind their whole lives. Sasuke has resigned himself to that life, and in fact has looked forward to it.

But of course, his professor in his human communications class decides to cover a subject on soulmates and has every student in her class talk to everyone else.

Sasuke sighs and stands up, mentally preparing himself to be disappointed yet again. He's gone through this before. Why would this time any different?

He continues with that attitude until he makes eye contact with a boy with shockingly blue eyes.

'The first thing you'll see is your soulmate's eye color when you make eye contact. After every conversation, a new color will appear,' Sasuke recalls professor Tsunade telling them moments earlier.

Naruto doesn’t even notice though, since Sasuke’s eyes are black.

"What the fuck,” Sasuke hisses, taking a step back.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” the man asks, coming up to him.

“What’s your name?” Sasuke asks.

“Uh… Naruto, why? What’s yours?”

Sasuke takes another step back when the man’s hair turns yellow.

“I’m… Sasuke,” he answers.

Naruto stumbles backwards and accidentally falls over a desk as Sasuke’s hair turns dark blue.

“You're a dumbass," Sasuke comments, looking at him and he stands back up and brushes himself off.

“Hey, is that any way to talk to your soulmate?” Naruto retorts.

Sasuke rolls his eyes.

“Soulmates aren’t real,” he claims.

"Say what?!" Naruto asks angrily.

"Soulmates aren't real," Sasuke repeats, putting his hands in his pockets.

"How could you say that? I'll show you that soulmates are real. Believe it!" Naruto exclaims.

Sasuke smirks again and holds out his phone.

"Go ahead and try. Put your number in. I'll text you later."

Naruto snatches the black iPhone and opens it to add a contact. He hands Sasuke's phone back after a moment and grins.

"What?" Sasuke asks, narrowing his eyes.

"Nice background."

With that, Naruto walks away. Sasuke checks his phone and looks at the recent apps. The most recent app is his gallery. He reopens it and curses at the folder it's open on. These are where his selfies are. Including shirtless shots. Most of them for Grindr.

Sure, Sasuke is proud of his body. He works out, and he's got a beautiful fiery tattoo on his arms, chest, neck, and shoulders. He also has a cartilage piercing in his left ear, one in his nose, and snake bites on his lower lip. There's also his clan's tattoo on the base of his back. His style is retro-punkish with leather jackets, tank tops, and combat boots. His bangs fall neatly on either side of his face with the rest of it spiked back with excessive amounts of Pomade. His hair is a bluish-black that gleams silvery in certain light. His neck and fingers and slender, like a pianist's. He does play piano, but he would never claim to be good at it.

None of that means he wants a complete stranger looking through his pictures. Supposed soulmate or not.

He grits his teeth and walks back to his desk, shooting a glare at Naruto as he sits down.

Sasuke pulls out his sketchbook and starts to draw a character. After he finishes it, he realizes it looks a bit like Naruto and mentally curses.

Nonetheless, part of him already wants to send Naruto a text. His hand hovers to his pocket, where his phone is at the moment. He huffs quietly and pulls it out under the desk.

S: Hey. It's Sasuke.

Naruto startles and pulls his own phone out. When he reads it he looks over at Sasuke, surprised.

N: Hey. I thought u didnt beleive in soulmates?

S: I don't

N: Then why r you txting me?

S: You’re cute

N: O thnks. You to

N: So where r u from

S: A town called Konoha

N: Hey me too!

S: Why haven't we met before?

N: I dunno. Maybe you just seemed like an asshole then too.

S: Watch it blondie.

N: Haha ok. Whered you get ur tattoos?

S: Somewhere across town.

N: Sweet!

S: Do you have any body mods?

N: Nothin besides the whiskers. Kinda wish i did tho

N: We should meet up sometime. Go out together. You kno the Rasengan?

S: The nightclub or the café on 4th and Guiles?

N: Theres a club?

S: Yes

N: Oh that sounds more fun than coffee.

S: So we're going to the Rasengan then?

N: Sure!

S: Alright, meet you there Saturday night at 9.

N: See ya then!

~+~+~+~+~

Both young men await Saturday night. When it finally rolls around, Sasuke pulls on a tight-fitting shirt and skinny jeans with a cropped leather jacket and jack boots. He grabs his keys, a helmet, and his phone and sends Naruto a text telling him that he will be there in fifteen minutes. Sasuke gets onto his sleek motorcycle and drives to the club.

Naruto gets there at 9:15 wearing a button-up with a dark tie and jeans. He makes his way through the crowd to sit down across from Sasuke, who has already had to turn down multiple people asking for his number and other things in the 20 minutes he's been there.

"Finally," Sasuke says, looking at Naruto. "I was starting to wonder if you were standing me up."

"I'd never do that!" Naruto claims, noticing that he can now see green and purple.

Sasuke looks around, seeing the same colors. A lot of people aren’t wearing very pleasing color combinations.

"Who knew the world could be this bright?" Sasuke asks.

"Seriously," Naruto replies.

A moment of silence passes between them.

"Do you want to dance or what?" Naruto asks nervously.

"Sure," Sasuke replies.

They go out onto the dance floor and Naruto watches the colors around him wondrously. Sasuke does the same, only slightly more subtly.

"So, still don't believe in soulmates?" Naruto asks.

"No."

"Well, you'd better believe it! Because I'm the man who's your soulmate!"

Sasuke rolls his eyes.

"Why do you believe in them?" he asks.

"Because it’s pretty obvious that they're real," Naruto replies.

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"It's not like it's impossible for the government to be in charge of it, right?"

"Well, no, but that'd be a lot of work, and considering people in third world countries go through it too, I don't think it's fake."

"Whatever," Sasuke responds. The song ends. "Let's go sit down and have a drink."

"Okay! Hey, did you drive here?" Naruto asks.

"Yeah, I rode my motorcycle. Don't worry, I won't get drunk. I'm not stupid. What about you?" Sasuke asks.

"Hey, I'm not stupid either!" Naruto retorts angrily.

Sasuke rolls his eyes again.

"I meant, how'd you get here, loser."

"Oh. Right. I um, I rode the subway."

"Hm. Alright," Sasuke replies. "If you want to come over later, then you'd better not get shitfaced either, you got it?"

"Sure. I don't really drink much anyway," Naruto replies.

"Good," Sasuke says, taking a sip from the gin and tonic a bartender just handed him upon his order.

Naruto gets a beer.

"Hey there, gentlemen," a drunk man says, wandering over to their table.

He leans over Naruto, who looks a little embarrassed and shocked. Another young man with bright red hair and a kanji tattoo of the word “love” on his forehead comes over looking more stoic, but he smirks at Sasuke, who grits his teeth.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asks them.

"Name's Kankuro. This's Gaara. We'd like to ask you two to dance," the first guy introduces, slurring.

"No thanks," Sasuke replies shortly.

"Aw, come on," Gaara says, getting a little too close to Sasuke for comfort. "It's not like your soulmates will mind."

"Actually, I do," Naruto replies.

Gaara looks at him, as if seeing him for the first time. He looks back at Sasuke and climbs off him.

"Well then, I guess we'll just go find some other hot guys to sleep with," Gaara says.

"Yeah, I guess so," Sasuke responds, his tone slightly sarcastic.

After they're gone, Naruto and Sasuke look at each other.

"Who knew having a soulmate could give you that kind of excuse," Sasuke remarks.

Naruto laughs.

"I guess you probably get people asking you out all the time, huh?" he asks Sasuke.

"Well, mostly girls. I don't really know why, though. I'm pretty much an asshole," Sasuke answers.

Naruto laughs.

"You're a jerk, but you're pretty damn hot. Who wouldn't want to go out with you? I bet you've made a bunch of guys question their sexuality," Naruto replies.

"You’re annoying, dobe," Sasuke tells him.

"Oh. You speak Japanese. Of course you speak Japanese," Naruto says.

"My family immigrated from Japan," Sasuke responds.

"Oh, cool!" Naruto exclaims. "What part?"

"Okinawa," Sasuke answers.

"Awesome!" Naruto says.

"Have you been?"

"No, but I've always been really interested in Japan. I have some Japanese heritage too," Naruto says sheepishly. “My Dad was half-Japanese.”

“Hn,” Sasuke hums.

“Are you first-generation, then?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke nods.

“Cool. I’m second, obviously,” Naruto answers. “My mom was Irish.”

“That must be where your hair comes from,” Sasuke comments.

“Actually, my Dad was the blond,” Naruto says.

“Was?” Sasuke notes.

“They passed when I was a baby. My adoptive parents are really cool though!” Naruto claims.

“I see. Let's go to my place," Sasuke replies, paying for their drinks and standing up to go.

Naruto stands up too and follows him out to the street. Sasuke hands Naruto a sleek black helmet from under the seat of his bike and pulls his own on. Sasuke climbs on and starts the engine, then gestures for Naruto to get on behind him.

"Grab my waist," Sasuke instructs.

Once Naruto does, Sasuke drives them to his apartment. He parks the bike outside and they get off. Naruto hands Sasuke the helmet, a little shaky. Sasuke smirks and takes it, locking it back under the seat with his own helmet. He leads Naruto inside and up to the third floor where his apartment is. They step inside and Naruto's jaw drops.

It’s clean and the furniture is simple. There’s a bookshelf against the living room wall. A kitchen is separated by a counter with three stools at it. Two doors are across the room, one leading to a bathroom and a closed door probably into a bedroom. A few beautiful paintings in contrasting colors decorate the walls. One of them is a picture of black spider-like trees around a red lake under a dark blue sky with white sand. Naruto decides it’s his favorite.

"You're loaded!" Naruto crows.

Sasuke smirks. Once Naruto is done gawking, he looks back at Sasuke.

"Should we watch something, or,” Sasuke says lowly, stepping closer, "do you want to do something else?"

Naruto's breath catches and he blinks, swallowing hard.

“What do you mean?” he asks, trying to keep his tone steady.

“We could study,” Sasuke suggests, playful tone gone from his voice now.

"Are you always such an ass or is this just because I'm your soulmate?" Naruto scoffs.

"There's no such thing as soulmates," Sasuke repeats, smirking again.

"Yeah, right," Naruto snorts.

“What do you want to do?” Sasuke asks, a touch of amusement in his voice.

Naruto shrugs. Sasuke rolls his eyes. Naruto pulls off his tie and drapes it over the back of the couch. Sasuke watches him unbutton the top two buttons on his shirt and he licks his lips. They realize how close they still are and Naruto blushes, glancing away. Sasuke smirks mischievously and pulls Naruto closer by the waist. Naruto’s eyes widen and suddenly Sasuke gets nervous.

“Is this… okay?” Sasuke asks, his voice more breathless than he’d like.

“Yes,” Naruto says.

“What do you want?” Sasuke asks.

“Oh fuck,” Naruto replies, breathing shallowly.

“I’m not sure if that was an exclamation or if that’s what you’re asking for, but I’m not that easy,” Sasuke replies, kissing Naruto behind his ear.

"Shut up," Naruto tells him.

Sasuke responds by kissing him again, this time on the lips. He pulls back after a moment and raises his eyebrows, licking his lips.

"What?" Naruto breathes.

"You taste like ramen," Sasuke tells him.

“Ramen is the best food there is,” Naruto claims.

“You are ridiculous,” Sasuke claims.

Sasuke pulls Naruto to the living room. Naruto just stares at him.

They sit on the couch together, facing the TV. Sasuke picks up the remote and turns the TV on. He presses a few buttons and goes to Netflix. They start debating what type of movie to watch.

Just then, Sasuke’s phone starts ringing on the coffee table near them. Sasuke reaches out and picks it up.

"Hi Sasuke," Ino's voice says flirtatiously.

Sasuke sits up and rolls his eyes.

"Hello, Ino," he replies.

"So, have you found your soulmate yet?" she asks.

"I told you that's a load of shit," Sasuke says.

Naruto gives him a questioning glance.

"Whatever. Can I come see you?"

"Why?" Sasuke asks, tone hostile.

Naruto sits up with him.

"Well, I'm nearby, and I thought that maybe we could--"

"Not interested."

"Aw, come on! It's not like you have anything better to do!" Ino says.

Sasuke hasn't told many people about his personal life. Especially not about his orientation, though he doesn't exactly try to hide it.

"What? Not going to deny it?" Ino taunts.

"Oh, shut up. You’re annoying."

"Who's that?" Naruto inquires.

Sasuke doesn't reply.

"Sasuke, who's with you?" Ino asks accusingly.

"That's none of your business," Sasuke tells her.

"So? I want to know."

"I'm not telling you," Sasuke replies as Naruto hugs him from behind, resting his chin on Sasuke's shoulder.

"What, is it some whore?" Ino says threateningly.

"Hey, I'm not a whore!" Naruto pipes up, loud enough for his voice to get picked up clearly.

"Dumbass," Sasuke tells him.

"Sasuke, why are you with a guy? Wait a minute, was that Naruto Uzumaki's voice?"

"How do you know Naruto?" Sasuke asks.

"Duh, he went to highschool with us," Ino replies. “Besides, one of his friends is my soulmate.”

"He did?"

"Yeah, but you wouldn't know him because you were in all the advanced classes," Ino reminds him.

"Oh, yeah."

"You still haven't answered my question," Ino says.

"What?"

"Why is Naruto with you at 2 am on a Saturday night."

"Oh. He's in one of my classes," Sasuke replies. "He came over to watch a few movies."

"Really? Well, now I feel left out," she replies.

Sasuke rolls his eyes on his end, which Naruto notices.

"Anyway, I wouldn't mind seeing Naruto and you. Mind if I come upstairs? I'm on the street," Ino says.

“I do mind. Please don’t,” Sasuke tells her.

"Whatever, I'm coming upstairs anyway. See you soon!" Ino says, hanging up.

"What's going on?" Naruto asks.

"Ino wants to see me, apparently," Sasuke answers.

Ino knocks on the door and Sasuke goes to open it.

"Why are you here?" he asks her, standing in her way.

"I told you, Sasuke. I wanted to see you," she replies, giving him a look-over.

She pushes past him into the apartment and sits on the couch, next to Naruto.

"Naruto," she greets.

"Hi, Ino."

Sasuke sighs and joins the two of them by sitting in the arm chair.

"So, why did you decide to invite yourself over at 2 am?" Sasuke asks.

"Well, you never sleep, so I figured it wouldn't be a problem," Ino replies. "Unless I'm interrupting something."

She looks between Sasuke and Naruto.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sasuke tells her.

"Whatever. Say, Naruto, have you found your soulmate yet?" Ino asks.

"Yep!" Naruto replies proudly.

"Well then, who is it?" Ino questions.

Naruto glances at Sasuke for a moment and he fixes Naruto under a firm glare.

"Uh, my soulmate doesn't really want to tell anyone about us yet," Naruto says, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

"Lame," Ino sighs. "If you're soulmates, what's the point in keeping it secret? Unless it's like some forbidden romance or something. But it's not like your soulmate would be THAT special."

Naruto and Sasuke look at each other.

"Ugh, you two are so boring," Ino complains. "So Naruto can see color, but Sasuke, you're still blind?"

"No," Sasuke replies.

"No what?" Ino asks, as Naruto looks over at him too.

"I can see color," Sasuke admits calmly.

"What?! And you still don't believe in soulmates?" Ino asks.

Sasuke smirks.

"Of course not," he says.

She groans melodramatically.

"You're hopeless!" she exclaims. "Tell me you've at least got her number."

Sasuke rolls his eyes again.

"What?" Ino asks suspiciously.

"Nothing. Anyway, shouldn't you be going? Your RA's going to hand your ass to you if she catches you out," Sasuke tells her.

"Yeah, I guess," Ino mutters.

She stands up.

"Well, see you guys."

"Bye," Naruto replies, waving.

After she leaves, Sasuke goes to the door and locks it. Then they decide on Jumanji and start it. Sasuke takes Naruto's hand gently, making both of them blush lightly.

~+~+~+~+~

In the morning, Sasuke wakes up with the sun in his eyes to find himself lying on Naruto’s chest on the couch. Naruto’s arm is draped over him and he gently nudges it off. Sasuke stands up carefully, avoiding waking Naruto. He goes and makes pancakes and bacon for the two of them. As the food finishes cooking, Naruto sits up on the couch groggily and smacks his mouth a few times. He blinks sleepily and looks around. He sees Sasuke in the kitchen.

"I made breakfast," Sasuke says.

Naruto scrunches up his features, then slowly opens his eyes again to look up at Sasuke, who looks mildly annoyed.

"Morning," Naruto greets, stretching.

"Come on, your food will get cold," Sasuke replies shortly as he sets two plates on the counter.

Naruto groans as he stands up and then walks over to the counter.

They sit down and eat their breakfast. As Naruto takes his first bite, his eyes go wide and he looks at Sasuke in admiration.

"What?" Sasuke asks.

"These are great," Naruto replies through a mouthful.

Sasuke smirks and rolls his eyes.

"Just eat it, usuratonkachi."

~+~+~+~+~

Naruto sprints across campus to the library, after he checked his watch and found himself late to meet Sasuke again. When he gets there, he walks through to their usual seats near a window. They’ve been meeting up here every other day to read and study for the last two weeks since they met. Sasuke looks up as Naruto sits across from him.

"I was starting to wonder if you were coming today," Sasuke claims.

"I'd never forget one of our dates, believe it!" Naruto says.

Sasuke shushes him.

"Oh. Yeah," Naruto replies.

He doesn't like studying, and thinks it a waste of time for people who don't get good grades. Including himself. But if this is what he has to do to spend time with his soulmate, it's worth it.

Sasuke smirks.

"You don't seriously still believe in soulmates, do you?" Sasuke asks, as if reading his thoughts.

"Are you kidding? These last couple of weeks have been the brightest of my life, of course I do!" Naruto says.

"Idiot."

"Hey!"

"Sh!" a few people hiss.

Sasuke and Naruto look at each other and smile softly.

"Naruto? What are you doing in the library?" Rock Lee's voice says with surprise.

"Homework," Naruto replies.

Sasuke glances at Lee.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asks.

"Rock Lee. You must be Sasuke. It's a pleasure to meet you," Lee introduces, bowing his head slightly.

"Naruto, did you tell him?" Sasuke asks casually.

"What? No! I'd rather keep my head attached to my body, thanks," Naruto responds.

"What are you two talking about? Naruto, i didn’t know you were friends with Sasuke Uchiha," Lee says.

"Well, I am, believe it!"

"How did you get to know the smartest guy in our school?" Lee questions.

Naruto blinks.

"We have the same Communications class," Sasuke sighs.

"Oh. But I heard that you don't talk to anyone," Lee replies.

Sasuke stays quiet.

"Ehm, we, uh, we got paired for a group project!" Naruto lies blatantly.

Sasuke winces at how obvious that is. Luckily, Lee doesn't seem to catch on.

"Oh! Well, that makes sense. See you guys around, then!" Lee says.

“Yeah, you too,” Naruto replies, waving him off.

“Wow. Remind me to never divulge my life secrets in you,” Sasuke says to Naruto.

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Naruto retorts.

Sasuke rolls his eyes.

“Idiot.”

He looks back at the textbook he’s studying.

~+~+~+~+~

“Do you want to grab dinner sometime?” Naruto asks as they’re packing up their books and homework.

Sasuke glances at him.

“Depends on where and who’s paying,” he answers.

“Come on, I’ll pay, obviously!” Naruto says. “And I was thinking, that unless you have a specific place you like to go on first dates, there’s this place a few blocks from the west dorms that I’d like to check out. My friend works there. We can walk there after classes, maybe.”

“Alright. When?”

Naruto blinks. He hadn’t expected it to be that easy.

“Uh, maybe this Friday? Your last class ends around four, right? Mine ends at three,” Naruto stammers.

Sasuke smirks.

“Usuratonkachi. Nervous?” he teases.

“Hey!” Naruto exclaims, earning a stink-eye from the librarian and some other students. He lowers his voice before he continues. “So, was that a yes?”

“Of course. I’ll meet you out in the main courtyard by the monument,” Sasuke says.

Naruto grins and Sasuke feels something warm up inside him at the sight.

“Awesome! See you then,” Naruto tells him before he slings his bag over his shoulder and leaves.

Sasuke watches him go and shakes his head. He puts his backpack on and walks to his next class smiling slightly. He spends all of his art class sketching Naruto and his smile. He even decides to start doing a watercolor of him.

~+~+~+~+~

Friday doesn't come fast enough. Naruto keeps getting distracted in his classes, more than usual.

On Friday, it rains. Not just a light drizzle, but pouring. Sasuke throws on his long raincoat with a stiff collar in the morning, along with black combat boots and a comfortable dark blue tee shirt. He styles his hair, and brings a comb and a jar of Pomade in his bag because of the rain. Then he takes his black umbrella and heads to his first class.

Naruto wakes up and gets ready for the day quickly, having picked out his outfit the night before. He pulls on his chosen tight black undershirt and an orange tee, along with blue jeans and grey converse. He manages to pull on his raincoat over his jacket before he goes to class.

In the afternoon, Naruto goes to the campus bookstore to pick up a gift for Sasuke before their date. He also wants to avoid the rain while he waits.

Sasuke seems to like historical fiction, and sometimes sci-fi, from what he's seen. There was a bookshelf in Sasuke's living room, full of books ranging from cookbooks to mystery novels.

Naruto sees something he's read before that he thinks is perfect. It was a little advanced for Naruto, but it should be perfect for Sasuke. It's called All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr. It's partially about a German orphan who fixes radios, but when the War starts he has to fight with the Axis powers. His job is to use radios to locate Russian soldiers and kill them. It also tells the story of a blind girl in German-occupied France, whose father built her a replica of their town so she knows where everything is.

It had a deep plot and was really interesting, even for Naruto. He picks it off the shelf and smiles at the cover with the little award sticker on it. He buys it and folds over the top of the plastic bag before he puts it inside his jacket to keep it dry.

It's nearly four, which means Sasuke is going to be heading over to the fountain soon.

Naruto decides he should be there waiting. He puts his hood back on and marches out into the downpour, towards the fountain.

Sasuke hurries across campus so he doesn't leave Naruto waiting in the rain. But if the idiot was there for too long, it's his own fault, Sasuke decides.

He sees Naruto standing there with his hand stuck in his jacket and hurries.

"There you are!" Naruto says when he sees Sasuke. "I was starting to wonder if you were standing me up!"

"Sorry, I got here as quickly as I could. Here, you can share my umbrella. Where are we going, anyway?" Sasuke asks, unable to prevent a smile from gracing his lips.

Naruto blushes as he catches himself staring and twitches slightly before shuffling under the large umbrella with him. He takes the bag out of his coat and offers it to Sasuke.

Sasuke takes it with raised eyebrows and Naruto encourages him to open it, taking the umbrella. Sasuke pulls the book out and looks at it.

"I've heard about this, but I haven't read it yet. It's about these two teenagers in World War 2, right?" Sasuke asks.

"Yeah! I read it a few months ago. A friend suggested it to me. I didn't really get it, but I liked it," Naruto replies.

"Yeah. Thanks," Sasuke says, looking back at Naruto as Sasuke puts the book in the large inside pocket of his coat.

"Don't mention it," Naruto tells him, grinning again.

"So, where to?" Sasuke asks, once again distracted by that smile.

"Right! You like Italian, don't you?"

"If you're asking if I like pizza, yes, but it's not traditionally Italian you know," Sasuke responds.

"Whatever," Naruto says, turning slightly in the direction they need to go. "The place is called Ferrigno's."

"Okay. Let's go."

They walk there together, the rain loud enough for the silence not to be uncomfortable between them.

After fifteen minutes, they reach the place. Once they're under the awning, Naruto shakes out and closes Sasuke's umbrella before handing it back to him and opening the door. Sasuke thanks him and steps in. A hostess with pink hair greets Naruto kindly. Sasuke thinks he recognizes her from Biology.

"Hey, Naruto. So this is your hot date," she says.

"Hi, Sakura! Yeah, this is Sasuke. He’s a little prickly at first, but he isn’t as much of an asshole once you get to know him,” Naruto tells her, smiling.

Sasuke sends him a glare and Sakura chuckles.

“Okay, well, I think we’ve got a booth in the back if you two want it,” she tells them.

Naruto nods and replies, “That’s perfect. Thanks.”

“Alright, follow me then,” she says, taking two menus towards the far end of the restaurant.

The booth is one with a small padded bench on either side of a table along a partition separating the hallway to the bathroom from the main restaurant. Sasuke sits down opposite Naruto and Sakura places a menu in front of each of them. They thank her and she nods before she walks away.

Soon, a waiter comes by wearing a mesh tee shirt and a green vest. He has a ponytail and lazily asks them if they’d like anything to drink.

“Hey, Shikamaru! I didn’t know you worked here!” Naruto exclaims.

“Yeah, hey Naruto,” Shikamaru replies, glancing at him and Sasuke. “Who’s your date?”

“This is Sasuke!” Naruto replies. “We… uh, we have the same communications class.”

“Hm. Alright. Well? What do you two want to drink? Or are you ready to order?”

“I’m good with water and an iced tea. What about you, Sasuke?”

“I’ll take a Doctor Pepper and some water,” Sasuke replies.

“Coming right up,” Shikamaru tells them.

He leaves and Naruto looks back at the menu. Sasuke opens his. Sure enough, this does seem to be mainly a pizza place, but there are some traditional Italian dishes on it. He decides to order some “specialty” sausage gnocchi and puts his menu down in favor of watching Naruto make his decision.

“The way you’re frowning might suggest that you’re making some monumental life decision instead of just choosing your meal,” Sasuke teases.

“I’ll have you know that choosing what to have at your first time at a restaurant, especially when you’re on a date, is a very important decision, thank you,” Naruto replies, finally putting his menu down.

“Oh? Then what are you getting?” Sasuke asks, raising a thin eyebrow questioningly.

“Tomato sauce linguine,” Naruto responds.

Sasuke smirks.

“So, spaghetti?”

Naruto nods firmly.

Sasuke’s smirk widens to what looks almost like an actual smile.

“What?” Naruto asks.

“Nothing, just… all that thought and you decide on something that simple,” Sasuke laughs.

Naruto laughs a little.

“Yeah, I guess. Hey, what’s your favorite food?” he asks Sasuke.

“Curry soup with udon noodles.”

“Of course it’s Japanese. Did your parents ever cook for you?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke’s gaze darkens and his smile disappears.

“Yeah, my mom would.”

“I’m sorry, did something…? Did something happen? You don’t have to tell me,” Naruto replies gently, looking concerned.

“They were killed,” Sasuke answers.

He looks Naruto in the eye, almost daring him to make fun. Instead, Naruto’s gaze shifts from shock to understanding, which confuses Sasuke.

“Oh. How did they die, if you can talk about it?”

“They walked into the wrong neighborhood long past dark,” Sasuke replies. “A police officer found them in an alley, wallets emptied and anything expensive stolen.”

“Who took care of you?” Naruto questions.

“My older brother.”

“When?”

“I was in third grade.”

“Ah. I’m sorry that happened,” Naruto tells him.

“What about you? What are your parents like?” Sasuke asks.

“They, um, they died in a car accident when I was a baby. I grew up in foster care until I was adopted,” Naruto admits.

“Oh, that’s… awful,” Sasuke tells him.

Naruto shrugs before giving another smile, but this one’s a little sad.

“Well, the men who adopted me are pretty cool,” Naruto says.

“Oh?” Sasuke inquires.

“Yeah. Their names are Iruka and Kakashi Hatake,” Naruto tells him. “Maybe you can meet them someday. They actually knew my parents.”

“That sounds good,” Sasuke replies.

Naruto nods, smile fading. Shikamaru comes over and sets their drinks down in front of them. He takes their orders and they thank him. Once he leaves, Sasuke and Naruto look back at each other.

“So, what’s your major?” Naruto asks.

“Graphic arts,” Sasuke replies. “What about you?”

“Computer programming.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t seem the type.”

“I know, but in highschool, I started this club on a whim and really liked it. I started making some games and decided to roll with it,” Naruto tells him.

“Interesting,” Sasuke comments, actually looking like he finds it so.

“I’m going to assume you’re a pretty good artist if you’re in graphic arts,” Naruto replies.

“I would hope so,” Sasuke says, smirking.

“You know, you should show me something sometime.”

“I already have. Do you remember that painting of a lake back at my place? The red lake?” Sasuke asks.

Naruto nods.

“That was my work,” Sasuke replies.

Naruto’s jaw drops.

“No way. Sasuke.”

“You know, your food isn’t here yet. You can close your mouth, idiot.”

“Bastard,” Naruto grumbles.

Sasuke just keeps smirking. The jerk. Somehow, Naruto finds himself smiling just a little as he thinks that, though. Sasuke takes a sip of his Doctor Pepper. Naruto catches himself staring at the way his lips pucker around the straw. He feels his face heat up a bit and looks back at Sasuke’s eyes. At the quirk of his eyebrow as he sets the glass down again.

“Something wrong?” Sasuke asks.

Naruto shakes his head.

“No, you’re just…”

‘Really attractive,’ Naruto finishes in his mind.

Sasuke smirks and tilts his head to the side.

“Really what, usuratonkachi?”

Naruto smiles.

“How do you do your hair?”

Sasuke looks surprised for just a moment before he regains his annoyed expression.

“‘Ch. A fair amount of hair wax and a comb. You should try doing something with yours some time.”

‘Or maybe not,’ Sasuke thinks, noticing how soft Naruto’s hair looks, despite the fact that the tips of it are still a little damp from the rain.

Naruto laughs.

“Hey, how do you get your rent money?” Naruto asks. “I mean, you aren’t exactly poor.”

“Hm. My family’s inheritance plays a part, but I also sell my art and do commissions online,” Sasuke answers.

“I see! Your family had a lot of money?”

“Yes. My brother got a portion as well,” Sasuke says.

“What’s your brother like?”

“His name is Itachi. He’s a doctor.”

“Really? How much older than you is he?”

“Five years.”

“Cool.”

“Maybe you’ll get to meet him eventually,” Sasuke suggests casually. “He drops by my place every once in awhile.”

“Alright!” Naruto says, grinning.

Sasuke smiles back at him softly, resting his chin on his folded hands as he props his elbows on the edge of the table. Sakura dims the lights slightly so that the most prominent light source is a candle on the side of the table, sitting beside a red rose in a thin glass vase.

Shikamaru comes by with their food and sets it in front of each of them. Sasuke moves to let him. Naruto thanks him and he leaves, but not before glancing between them. Naruto says a short grace before digging in.

“You’re religious?” Sasuke asks him.

“Not really. I guess my mom was Catholic, but… I believe in demons and gods, sure, but not like most people do. I think they’re inside our minds more than looking over us. What about you?” Naruto asks around a mouthful of pasta.

“That’s all nonsense,” Sasuke replies after he swallows a bite of his meal.

“Says the one who doesn’t even believe in soulmates,” Naruto comments.

“That’s also nonsense.”

Naruto snorts but keeps eating. Sasuke smiles but does the same.

“I know you haven’t been able to see color for long, but… isn’t it really wonderful?” Naruto asks softly, staring at the rose.

“It is. My favorite one’s the color of your eyes,” Sasuke replies.

Naruto blushes brightly and looks at him. Sasuke just smiles softly.

“Wait, your eyes change between red and black,” Naruto notices.

“They do,” Sasuke responds.

“What’s with that?”

“I have no idea, Naruto. I think when I’m feeling a strong emotion, they turn red.”

“That’s really cool.”

“Thanks.”

“Wait, but that means you felt something when we met!”

“So?”

“What was it?”

“You think I’d remember that?” Sasuke asks.

In truth, he does. He felt confusion. Something incredible and warm and right. He felt impressed. Maybe a little bit nervous. But above all, he felt scared, because things can go pretty badly sometimes when your soulmate is the same sex as yourself. Sasuke’s heard stories of men and women, peaceful, nice people who were brutally killed as “freaks” or “abominations”. Last June, a man walked into a nightclub in Florida and killed 49 innocent people just there to have a good time, and wounded 53 more.

“You’re right, I guess it was kind of a while ago,” Naruto says, chuckling.

Sasuke meets his gaze again, noticing the way the candle light flickers in his eyes.

“I really like that red, though,” Naruto claims.

“Do you, now?” Sasuke questions.

Naruto nods firmly.

“I mean, orange is pretty cool too. But red is almost as nice,” he replies.

Sasuke chuckles and Naruto feels his core heat up at the sight and finds himself smiling crookedly.

“I like it when you laugh.”

It just slipped out. Probably in the most gentle and adoring tone Naruto has ever used. Immediately, Naruto blinks and blushes, but Sasuke just quirks an eyebrow and stares at him, smiling softly with his own cheeks tinted pink.

“Thanks,” he responds.

Their hands brush between them on the table and for a second, they pull them back, but then Naruto grabs Sasuke’s. Sasuke stares at their hands and blinks, looking mildly surprised.

“This okay?” Naruto asks.

“Of course it is, idiot,” Sasuke replies.

“Well, I just thought… It’s always good to check, you know?” Naruto defends. “Besides, both of us were a little drunk.”

“I understand,” Sasuke replies, smile returning.

“Sorry, I’m not very good at this whole dating thing…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Sasuke tells him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

Naruto hesitantly squeezes back and Sasuke smiles a little wider.

“I haven’t actually dated a lot of people,” Naruto admits.

“Well, me neither.”

“Really? But you’ve got a lot of admirers, if you know what I mean,” Naruto says.

“I know,” Sasuke sighs. “It’s obnoxious.”

Naruto chuckles.

Throughout their conversation, they’ve been eating slowly, and now they’re both finished with their meals. Shikamaru comes by and picks up their plates, asking them if they want dessert. They shake their heads when Naruto promises Sasuke that he’s going to take them to a really good frozen yogurt place another one of his friends works at, after this. Sasuke hesitantly agrees.

Shikamaru brings them the check and Sasuke pays, although Naruto insists on taking care of the tip. Once they’ve paid, they stand up and thank Naruto’s friends before they leave, making sure to grab Sasuke’s umbrella before they do.

It’s still raining as they step back out onto the sidewalk, but not as much. It’s more drizzling now.

“The place is just a few blocks away, come on,” Naruto encourages, leading the way.

Sasuke walks close to him with their shoulders brushing as they walk under the umbrella. Sasuke is about to complain that they’ve walked more than five blocks when a brightly lit sign reads “Ninja Fro-Yo!” ahead of them. Naruto’s eyes light up and he grabs Sasuke’s hand to pull him towards it.

Inside, Naruto waves at the cashier, a young man with spiky dark hair and a big fur-lined coat.

“Hey Naruto.”

“Hey Kiba!”

“Who’s that?” Kiba asks, gesturing to Sasuke.

“His name’s Sasuke! He’s my, um, new boyfriend,” Naruto replies.

Sasuke shoots Naruto a warning glance, but Kiba doesn’t seem to find it suspicious.

“Well, good job. Finally found someone who could stand you,” Kiba teases.

Sasuke smirks and puts his hands in his pockets.

“Hey! I’ll have you know I went out with Hinata for four months!” Naruto exclaims.

“Yeah, until she broke up with you because her father found out,” Kiba says.

Naruto puts a hand to his chest and makes an offended face.

“Kiba, how dare you?” Naruto asks dramatically. “Any gentleman knows not to bring up when his best friend’s been dumped.”

“Oh, come on. You’re still friends with her, so she didn’t break your heart too badly.”

Naruto makes a noise with puffed up cheeks and Sasuke actually laughs at him for it.

“What the hell was that?” Sasuke asks, still chuckling.

“Uh…” Naruto replies, just staring at Sasuke.

“Sasuke, I think you broke him,” Kiba laughs.

Sasuke smirks at Naruto’s dumbstruck expression and flicks him on the forehead. Naruto recoils.

“Hey, what was that for?!”

“Don’t stare, usuratonkachi.”

“Unfair! You’ve laughed twice tonight! Twice!”

“You complaining?”

“Not at all! The opposite! You should do it more often!”

“Why, so I can have you gawking at me? No thanks. I’ll laugh when you actually do something funny, idiot,” Sasuke retorts, looking smug.

“You’re enjoying this too much, bastard,” Naruto tells him.

Sasuke smirks and picks up a cup to start getting some frozen yogurt. Naruto grumbles something but follows his example, while Kiba watches them, looking amused.

They finish with all their toppings and head back to the counter to pay. Naruto takes care of it this time. They take a seat at a small table in the front, near the big window. Naruto starts eating his mountain while Sasuke nibbles at his small in comparison amount of yogurt.

Looking around, the place is fairly diverse; college students, families, even an elderly couple near the back. Sasuke finds it interesting how something as small and insignificant as frozen yogurt can bring together so many different people.

Suddenly, Sasuke’s attention is drawn by Naruto stealing a bite of his yogurt. Sasuke gasps and stares at Naruto dramatically. Naruto smirks. Sasuke picks up his spoon and takes a spoonful of Naruto’s yogurt.

“Hm, not bad,” he says casually.

Naruto blinks at him and then frowns.

“What?” Sasuke asks.

Naruto shakes his head and says, “It’s nothing.”

Sasuke looks back at his yogurt and keeps eating. Before very long, they’ve both finished and they leave. Standing outside in the rain, sharing their umbrella, they stare at each other, both hesitant to part from the other.

“Um, I can walk you h-”

“No. I’ll take you to your dorm. I’m the one with the umbrella anyway,” Sasuke interrupts.

“Right,” Naruto replies, smiling.

Sasuke snorts and starts walking, leaving Naruto to follow him. Their shoulders brush, then their hands. At first, Naruto is scared to take Sasuke’s, but the third time their fingers brush, he takes a deep breath and grabs Sasuke’s hand simultaneously.

Sasuke squeezes Naruto’s hand back as they keep walking.

Outside Naruto’s dormitory, they stop at the front door and stand facing each other. Naruto clears his throat and scratches the back of his head. Sasuke chuckles lowly and leans in to kiss Naruto on the cheek. Naruto grins and drops his hand from behind his head to reach out and put his hands on Sasuke’s waist. He pulls Sasuke close and their breath mixes together in their close proximity.

“What are you waiting for?” Sasuke whispers.

“I don’t know,” Naruto replies softly.

Then he braces himself and closes the distance. Soon, the butterflies in his stomach settle and it’s just him and Sasuke. The rain falls around them, and Sasuke barely remembers to keep the umbrella up. Their noses bump together at first, but they adjust and fix that. Before long, they pull apart and stare at each other, awed.

“Um, I’ll see you around,” Naruto says, fishing his keys out of his pocket. “Text me when you get back to your apartment so I know you got home safe. Thanks for walking me here.”

“Yeah. See you Monday,” Sasuke replies.

Right before Naruto closes the door behind him, Sasuke calls out.

“Naruto?”

“Hm? Yeah?”

“Thanks. For tonight. I had a nice time.”

“Yeah. Me too,” Naruto replies, smiling.

Sasuke gives him a soft smile and then he walks away. Naruto watches him go for a minute before he closes the door and heads up to his room. He silently hopes that his roommate Shikamaru won’t be back yet.


	2. Chapter 2

In coms class on Monday, Sasuke and Naruto sit beside each other. Their professor raises an eyebrow at them but stays silent, smiling. Throughout class, their hands brush on top of the desk a few times. They keep sending little glances at each other.

After class, Naruto asks Sasuke if he wants to come over for game night at the dorms, this Friday.

“What happens on game night?” Sasuke asks.

“Well, we play video games and board games in the dorm commons. We’re allowed to bring friends, even if they don’t live in the same dorm. Usually our RAs get us snacks and soda, too,” Naruto explains.

“Alright. When is it?”

“Friday night, it starts at 9pm. Text me when you get to my place so I can let you in,” Naruto instructs.

“I will. See you later, usuratonkachi.”

“You too, bastard.”

~+~+~+~+~

Naruto is at lunch with his friends, Tuesday afternoon. He has a couple of hours until his last class of the day, physics. At least his friend Shikamaru is with him then, or he wouldn’t be passing. Right now, Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, Neji, Hinata, Kiba, Sakura, and Lee are sitting at their usual table. Sakura, Neji, and Hinata have packed lunches. Shikamaru, Choji, and Naruto are eating hamburgers from the school’s cafeteria. Lee and Kiba both have a slightly healthier school meal of sandwiches.

“So, Naruto,” Sakura asks. “How did your date go?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. We had a great time,” Naruto replies.

“It’s almost hard to believe Naruto finally found a decent boyfriend. They seem really into each other, too. Naruto rarely shuts up about Sasuke,” Lee comments.

Naruto scowls and stays quiet. He doesn’t get why Sasuke wants to keep them being soulmates such a secret.

“If he really doesn’t believe it, why’s he so uptight?” he finds himself muttering, before he can stop himself.

“What was that?” Shikamaru asks.

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking aloud,” Naruto tells him.

“Hm?”

“Oh, speak of the devil. Isn’t that him?” Kiba says, pointing behind Naruto.

Naruto turns and sees Sasuke walking their way, holding a box with a sandwich in it, while balancing a granola bar on top. He waves and Sasuke nods in acknowledgement.

“Yo, Naruto. Mind if I sit here?” Sasuke asks, coming over and setting his tray down on the empty place next to Naruto.

“Not at all!” Naruto replies, surprised. “Say, why are you sitting with us today? Don’t you normally just eat outside?”

“Idiot. It’s pouring out there. Besides, you called me your boyfriend when you introduced me to Kiba. I figured if we’re dating, we ought to sit together at lunch at least. Is that okay?” Sasuke asks.

“Yeah, yeah!”

Naruto is completely oblivious to his friends’ surprised expressions. However, Sasuke is not.

“Hello,” he introduces. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

“Ah, you too,” Hinata responds, nodding with her hands under the table.

Sasuke smiles softly at her and opens the box around his sandwich. The others keep eating and Sakura starts a conversation with Lee about her homework from her medical classes. Neji and Hinata discuss martial arts training with Kiba. Choji is absorbed in listening to their conversations while noisily inhaling a bag of chips. Only Shikamaru stays silent and watches Naruto and Sasuke talk in hushed tones.

“Listen, I’ve got to ask you something,” Naruto says quietly, leaning in so Sasuke can hear him.

“What is it?”

“Why don’t you want to tell anyone? I mean, if you really don’t believe it.”

“I already said that I don’t want my fanclub after you.”

“Well, I’ve already been assaulted a few times. I don’t think just dating you is any different than it will be when they figure it out. Besides, we can trust my friends, right?”

“Usuratonkachi. It’s because I don’t believe in that nonsense that I don’t want you to tell them. What if we aren’t right for each other? I don’t want there to be too much pressure from your friends for you to try to make it work. Or from your own subconscious,” Sasuke tells him.

“You really can be pretty stupid sometimes,” Naruto replies after a moment, making Sasuke startle.

“What?”

“Why should I care whether my friends want us to be together or not? You’re an amazing person, Sasuke. I don’t care if we’re soulmates or not. I want to be with you,” Naruto says seriously, staring at Sasuke with fire in his eyes.

Sasuke stares at him for a few moments.

“Naruto, what’d you tell him?” Kiba asks. “He’s staring at you like you just proposed marriage or something.”

“He might as well have,” Shikamaru mumbles, but no one catches it.

Naruto chuckles nervously and Sasuke blinks, going back to eating his sandwich.

“Don’t tell them just yet,” Sasuke murmurs.

Naruto glances at him and nods, still smiling.

~+~+~+~+~

On Friday, Sasuke comes over to Naruto’s dorm at 9:02. He sends his boyfriend a quick text and Naruto comes to the door to let him in promptly. They walk through the building, down the hall, and into a large common room with beanbags laid out on the floor. Many people have already claimed them. Some, Sasuke recognizes from Naruto’s friend group or from around campus, but most he’s never met before. It doesn’t take long before Naruto has introduced everyone, though.

Everyone breaks out a surprising collection of games and somehow, Sasuke gets roped into playing Cards Against Humanity. The other players are Naruto, Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and a quiet guy named Shino Aburame.

“The best way to get to know a person is by seeing how many cards they end up with in Cards Against Humanity,” Naruto claims, stating it like an inherent fact of life.

Sasuke sighs and picks up his deck after he’s dealt it. He stares at his hand with a small frown. Most of these cards are awful. The most sensible one is “Chuck Norris”.

“What the hell is this?” Sasuke asks.

“Huh? Haven’t you played Cards Against Humanity before?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke shakes his head.

“Jeez,” Naruto complains.

“Apples to Apples?” Kiba questions.

Sasuke furrows his brow and slowly nods.

“Twice. Both times with my brother.”

“Okay. That’s a start,” Naruto tells him. “Listen, it’s just like that, but with different cards.”

“Very different,” Shikamaru adds.

“Okay. How do we start?” Sasuke asks.

“Why don’t you start so you can get an idea how it works? Pick the card and choose the one that’s funniest,” Naruto tells him.

“Alright.”

Sasuke sets his hand down and picks up a white card. He reads it and frowns again.

“For my next trick, I will pull blank out of blank,” Sasuke reads aloud.

Everyone contemplates their cards and slowly start sliding theirs over to him. Sasuke neatly stacks them as he is handed them. Once everyone has submitted their cards, Sasuke starts to read them. As he comes across the fourth set, he snorts and starts cracking up for the first time since he started going through them. He puts it aside and reads the last few. Then he nods and picks up the fourth set again. He holds it up.

“Winner,” he announces. “For my next trick, I will pull Nickleback out of a pile of shit.”

Naruto laughs.

“I guess that one’s pretty good,” he admits after a moment.

Shino holds out his hand and says, “Card please.”

Sasuke hands him the white card and sets the other black cards in a stack in the lid of the box.

“Damn it, Shino’s always the best,” Naruto complains.

They keep playing. By the time they start running out of black cards, it’s past midnight. Most of their neighbors have started heading to bed. Shino, Kiba, and Shikamaru have the most cards by far. Sasuke barely has any. He keeps going with sensible things, which he is slowly learning isn’t the right thing to do.

“That’s not how you play, bastard!” Naruto had told him.

Sasuke had shrugged, called him useless, and kept playing.

Now, they’re almost out of cards. Shikamaru sighs and sets down his hand.

“Maybe it’s time we stopped. After all, Sasuke has to walk home, right?” he tells everyone.

“Yeah, I suppose,” Naruto mutters.

“I rode my motorcycle,” Sasuke replies.

“Oh,” Shikamaru says.

“But you’re right, I should go home. Thanks,” Sasuke adds. “I’ve had fun.”

And with a genuine smile, he stands up and puts his leather jacket back on. Naruto stands up and offers to walk him to the door. Sasuke thanks him.

The others watch them go.

Sasuke turns towards Naruto at the front door. He leans in and kisses him on the lips quickly before he goes. Naruto watches him mount his bike from the door, and Sasuke gives him a nods in his helmet before he starts the motor and drives off. Naruto smiles, closes the door, and heads back to the common room.

~+~+~+~+~

“So, Sasuke, Halloween is coming up,” Naruto mentions at lunch.

This time, Ino has joined the group.

“I am not dressing up.”

“Aw, come on! Why not?”

Sasuke glares at him.

“I’m too old for that.”

“No one’s too old for Halloween!”

“I am.”

Naruto pouts.

“I bet you don’t have any Christmas spirit, either, do you?”

Sasuke raises an eyebrow at him.

“I have plenty of Christmas spirit.”

“Sure you do. I guess we’ll find out on Christmas then, won’t we?” Naruto replies.

Sasuke frowns.

“What are you planning?” Sasuke asks suspiciously.

Naruto grins.

“Uh-oh,” Kiba comments.

“Why don’t you come spend the holidays with Kakashi, Iruka, and I? I’m sure they’ll love you. They want to meet you,” Naruto says.

Sasuke considers him suspiciously. Eventually, he sighs and looks away.

“Sure.”

“Wait, really? You aren’t doing anything with Itachi or anything?” Naruto asks.

“What? No,” Sasuke replies.

“Oh. Okay. I’ll… I’ll let them know. We can take the train together, then,” Naruto says.

“Sounds good,” Sasuke tells him, smiling slightly.

They take each other’s hands under the table.

“Jeez, get a room,” Kiba teases.

Naruto laughs and Sasuke throws a balled-up napkin at him, which he dodges. It hits a mean-looking guy in the head. The guy turns slowly, narrowing his eyes. He stares at the group for a moment.

“Who threw that?” he growls.

Sasuke immediately points at Naruto.

The guy grunts and throws a grape at Naruto. Naruto dodges. It hits a girl behind them and she glares at the burly guy before throwing a half-eaten slice of pizza. Shikamaru starts chucking raisins, and within minutes, a food fight has spread to the surrounding tables, and then to half the cafeteria. Sasuke and Naruto hide under their table, laughing and holding hands. Somebody, probably Choji by the sound, roars and chucks what sounds like a plate of spaghetti. 

Naruto leans in close to Sasuke and their breath mixes under the table. Naruto puts his hand behind Sasuke’s neck. They close their eyes and lean forward. Their noses bump and they adjust the angle of their heads. Their lips meet and they don’t pull back for a while. When they do, it’s because an apple rolls under the table and stops next to them. Naruto picks it up and checks it, then takes a bite out of it once he sees that it’s unharmed.

Sasuke shakes his head at him.

“What?” Naruto asks around a mouthful.

“Why are you like this?” Sasuke questions, smirking.

“Like what?”

Sasuke just shakes his head again and takes Naruto’s hand.

“You know? Maybe soulmates are a thing after all, usuratonkachi.”

Naruto’s eyes widen.

“Can I…?”

“You can tell your friends. That’s what you were going to ask, right?” Sasuke replies softly.

Naruto nods enthusiastically, swallows and kisses Sasuke on the lips one more time, quickly this time. When Naruto pulls back grinning, Sasuke smiles at him and pulls him back by the front of his jacket. Their mouths clash again, but this time Naruto doesn’t keep his mouth closed, and Sasuke opens his in response. Naruto feels Sasuke’s piercings. They shift together and Sasuke starts chuckling against Naruto’s lips as they break apart.

“What?” Naruto asks softly.

“We’re making out, under a table in the lunchroom, during a food fight,” Sasuke says.

Naruto chuckles.

“It’s a little weird,” he admits.

“Just a little,” Sasuke replies, smiling.

“I am so lucky to have you,” Naruto murmurs.

“Well, at least you realize it,” Sasuke replies facetiously.

“Hey!” Naruto laughs.

Sasuke laughs with him until they hear the fighting stop and everyone sits back down.

“Hey, where’re Sasuke and Naruto?” Lee asks.

Sasuke holds a finger to his lips to keep Naruto silent.

“I bet they took off to make out somewhere,” Shikamaru says off-handedly. “After all, they are soulmates.”

Naruto mouths the words, “How did they…?”

Sasuke puts a finger to his lips.

“Wait, they’re what?!” Sakura asks.

“Yeah, I heard them talking the other day. Apparently, Sasuke didn’t want to tell us because he doesn’t believe in it. So Naruto’s trying to keep it quiet for him. Honestly, I don’t get it,” Shikamaru replies.

Sasuke glares at Naruto, who cowers.

“Huh. Wait, have you met your soulmate, yet?” Sakura replies.

“Yeah. Her name’s Temari. She’s not bad…” Shikamaru comments.

“You’re smiling, and that’s the first time I’ve heard you call a girl something other than annoying or troublesome,” Kiba tells him.

Shikamaru doesn’t reply.

“How are we getting out of here without being noticed?” Sasuke whispers, as their friends keep questioning Shikamaru about Temari.

“Why do you care if we’re not noticed?” Naruto replies quietly, grinning. “They already know.”

Sasuke gives him a warning glance and whispers his name as Naruto starts crawling back to his seat. He grabs Naruto by the collar and shakes his head.

“What?” Naruto mouths.

“You can’t just pop back up!” Sasuke hisses.

“Why not?” Naruto asks quietly.

Sasuke waves his free hand in the air a little.

“You just can’t!”

“Oh yeah? Wanna bet?” Naruto asks, grinning stupidly again.

Sasuke rolls his eyes and lets him go.

Naruto leans in and gives him another kiss. Suddenly, Sasuke traps him with his hands pinned above his head on the ground. Naruto looks up at him, startled. Sasuke is smirking.

“Fine. Then you aren’t going up there without them knowing what we did,” Sasuke murmurs against Naruto’s neck.

He plants kisses along Naruto’s neck to the top of his collar, and latches onto the side. He sucks until it starts to leave a small pink mark, and pulls back to look at Naruto’s flushed face. Naruto blinks and they kiss on the lips once more before Sasuke fixes his hair and retreats over to near his seat. He quirks an eyebrow at Naruto before he slips back up onto his place. Naruto follows him, still flushed, while the pink mark on his neck slowly darkens.

Their friends stare at them incredulously. Sasuke clears his throat and looks around at them, barely making eye contact. He feels his cheeks and the tips of his ears heating up.

“Really? Under the table?” Shikamaru complains.

Sasuke looks down, but he’s smirking. Naruto kisses him on the cheek, leaning over in just the right way to expose the mark a bit better. Kiba, Choji, and Shikamaru, the three directly opposite them, make a few comments on it. Sasuke ignores them because they’re just teasing Naruto and him. Lee is still staring at them though.

“What?” Sasuke asks him, sounding ruder than he intended.

“It’s nothing, I’m just surprised,” Lee replies.

“So, you two are soulmates?” Neji asks.

Sasuke looks at him.

“I guess we’re supposed to be,” he admits.

“What does that mean?” Kiba questions.

“The bastard doesn’t believe in them,” Naruto says, but he grins and throws his arm around Sasuke’s shoulders.

“Ah. I see,” Lee responds. “Hold on, then how did you two meet?”

“Like we said, we have the same communications class. Our professor thought it would be fun to have us walk around and try to find our soulmates,” Sasuke explains.

“Oh,” Lee replies.

“If you don’t believe in them, why were you so hesitant to tell us?” Shikamaru questions.

“I… I wasn’t sure how you would all react if you found out,” Sasuke admits with a shrug.

“Aw, come off it. We’re fine with you two, as long as you’re happy,” Ino tells them, hanging off Choji’s arm.

“Sakura and I are soulmates, and so are Ino and Choji,” Kiba adds.

“I met mine the other day,” Shikamaru says.

“We heard,” Sasuke replies.

“So you weren’t too distracted under the table then,” Sakura comments.

Sasuke smirks and Naruto blushes lightly.

~+~+~+~+~

On Halloween, Naruto gets invited to a party at Kiba’s frat house. He invites Sasuke to come along. At first, Sasuke tries to turn him down, but eventually gives in. This is how he finds himself following Naruto to one of the big houses close to campus with three Greek letters over the porch.

Sasuke’s wearing black skinny jeans, jack boots, and an unbuttoned red flannel over a black short-sleeved shirt. Upon his boyfriend’s suggestion, he added a pair of leather suspenders and tied his hair back with a bandana around his forehead to dress up as a lumberjack. 

Naruto, on the other hand, obviously put effort, though perhaps not a lot of money into his costume. He’s got a cheap-looking police officer outfit complete with a plastic badge and a hat. He was grinning from ear to ear when Sasuke walked over to his dorm to pick him up.

When they get to the house, Naruto knocks on the door. Kiba opens it and welcomes them inside. They push past drinking students crowding the hallways and eventually get to the kitchen. Naruto pours both of them a cup of highly-spiked punch each. One smell is enough for both of them to realize how much alcohol is in it; a lot. Sasuke wrinkles his nose before he takes the first swig of his.

“That’s the spirit!” Kiba laughs, clapping him on the shoulder.

“This is the worst mix of drinks I’ve ever tasted.”

Kiba laughs again at Sasuke’s frown. Naruto chuckles good-naturedly as well, and tentatively sips his drink. He pulls a more dramatic face than even Sasuke, who smirks at him for it.

“Ew!” Naruto exclaims, staring into his cup in disgust.

“It goes down easier the more you drink,” Kiba assures him.

“Yeah,” Sasuke adds, already having had a few more sips.

Someone turns up the music and Kiba moves away after shouting that he loves this song.

Sasuke and Naruto move towards a corner to stay out of the way. They stand close enough that their shoulders brush.

“This reminds me of our first date,” Naruto yells over the music.

Sasuke nods his agreement.

“Except this time, it’ll be harder to leave,” Sasuke adds.

Naruto laughs.

“Yeah.”

“We’ll have been together for two months in about a week,” Sasuke comments.

“Yep!”

Sasuke finds his drink halfway gone and realizes that he shouldn’t drink too much. He frowns into his cup as he remembers the last time he drank a lot. Well, more like he remembers what he can from that time. He went out to the club and woke up alone in an alleyway, which sent him into a panic attack. Itachi had to come and get him. That was two years ago, at exactly this time of year.

Sasuke comes back to himself when Naruto asks him if he’s okay. He nods his head and asks his boyfriend to dance. That’s right. This year, he’s not alone. They set down their drinks, knowing they probably won’t find them again and will subsequently have to pour themselves some new drinks.

They dance until both of them are sweating and tired. After a while, they head back to the kitchen and get some new drinks.

One of the frat boys who lives in the house is pouring shots out, and Sasuke and Naruto get roped into drinking three in a series, each made from a different type of vodka. They wander out of the kitchen afterwards, with red cups in their hands filled with their punch.

They go sit on the couch in the living room and find Lee and Ino in the same room as well.

“Well, hello there,” Ino tells them as they sit down.

“Hey Ino,” Naruto replies.

“When did you two get here?” Lee asks.

“About an hour ago,” Naruto answers.

“Oh. Cool.”

They sit without talking for a while longer, listening to the music and watching others walk around the house. Before they know it, half an hour has gone by. Naruto finds his cup empty and offers to get a refill for both of them. Sasuke hand shim his cup and thanks Naruto.

He stands up and takes both cups before he walks to the kitchen. He passes a few drunk couples making out and his mind wanders back to the day last week with Sasuke under the lunch table. He smiles. He refills their glasses and the smell of alcohol wafts up from the punch bowl. It seems like maybe someone has mixed even more into it. At this point, it’s probably just a bunch of liquor with a little bit of red coloring and cherry flavoring. Naruto chuckles and heads back to the living room with their refilled cups. He hands Sasuke one, not sure if it was originally his or not. Then he sits back down next to him with his arm around Sasuke’s shoulders on the back of the sofa.

“So, Sasuke,” Naruto starts.

Ino got asked to dance while he was gone, and Lee is sleeping. He apparently can’t hold his liquor very well.

“Yeah?” Sasuke asks, looking into Naruto’s blue eyes.

“Hm… You’re really pretty,” Naruto tells him, forgetting what he had been meaning to say.

Sasuke smirks. Then he’s closing the distance between them and in an instant, their lips meet. It’s messy and they’re both drunk, but the world falls away around them. Sasuke shifts until he’s sitting in Naruto’s lap with his forearms resting on Naruto’s shoulders. Naruto puts his hands on Sasuke’s waist. Sasuke uses one hand to loosen the tie on Naruto’s fake uniform.

Someone walking by wolf-whistles and Sasuke flips them off without breaking away from Naruto.

When they finally do part for breath, Naruto suggests they go someplace else. Sasuke agrees and offers his apartment. So they get up from the couch holding hands and head out. They walk to Sasuke’s apartment, holding hands and talking drunkenly. Once they get there, Sasuke fumbles with the keys until he manages to get them into the lock and turn it. They stumble inside, giggling.

Sasuke pins Naruto against the wall in the entrance hall and kisses him again once the door shuts behind them. Naruto takes off his hat and Sasuke, his bandana. They slip off their shoes and stumble into the bedroom. Naruto sits on the edge of the bed and Sasuke leans over him, pushing him onto his back. Sasuke bites the side of Naruto’s neck, below his ear. Naruto moans and Sasuke smirks against his skin.

“You like that?” he whispers in Naruto’s ear.

He bites the lobe and Naruto bites back another moan. Sasuke latches onto the same spot on the side of Naruto’s neck and sucks on it until he knows it is going to leave another mark. He starts biting and kissing his way down to Naruto’s collar. Naruto snaps Sasuke’s suspenders and they start to take off their clothes. Sasuke takes a strip of condoms out of his bedside drawer.

He looks at Naruto who is watching him hungrily, propping himself up on his elbows. Sasuke smirks at him and straddles him again, grinding their growing erections together.

Their lips meet again and Sasuke wastes no time in opening his mouth. He presses his tongue against Naruto’s lips and the other lets him in willingly. Their tongues move around each other’s mouths for a while, exploring, tasting the alcohol on the other’s breath. They retract their tongues and Sasuke bites Naruto’s lip, pulling it. They break away for a breath and Sasuke starts unbuttoning Naruto’s blue shirt. It falls off once the buttons are gone and Naruto throws it across the room to land on the floor. Sasuke starts kissing down Naruto’s neck and chest. When he reaches one of Naruto’s nipples, he licks it and rubs the other with his thumb. After a while of that, he moves farther down until he has to start kneeling on the floor. He looks up at Naruto with coal black eyes filled with lust.

“Fuck…” Naruto mutters, watching him.

“You sure you want this, dobe?” Sasuke asks softly.

Naruto nods, biting his lip. Sasuke undoes Naruto’s belt and the zipper on his pants. Naruto pushes his hips up far enough that they can get his slacks off without difficulty. Sasuke leaves them on the floor and palms Naruto through his black boxers. Naruto tosses his head back and gasps. Sasuke bites his lower lip and narrows his eyes at the reaction.

“Your eyes,” Naruto breathes.

“Did they switch?” Sasuke asks, kissing and biting the inside of Naruto’s thigh.

“Hm, fuck. Yeah, they did,” Naruto replies.

Sasuke smirks and sucks on a spot right below the hem of Naruto’s boxers. After another moment, he bites the spot and tugs on the waistband. They repeat the procedure to get Naruto’s pants off, and Sasuke licks up the length, making Naruto shiver slightly. Sasuke takes off the suspender and lets them fall with his flannel fall onto the ground behind him, leaving himself in a tight dark t-shirt and skinny jeans. Some of the edges of his tattoos are visible. Naruto watches him, blushing.

“You could at least take off a little more so I’m not the only one completely exposed,” Naruto complains.

Sasuke grabs the strip of condoms and pulls one away. He bites the corner and opens it, pulling out the rubber ring inside. He checks it before he rolls it onto Naruto’s length, no expression except for the hunger in his eyes that takes Naruto’s breath away. No one has ever looked at him like that.

Sasuke meets his gaze and slowly takes off his t-shirt. His dark and colorful tattoos stand in contrast to his porcelain skin. A dragon wraps around his left shoulder and flows down his back. His clan’s symbol stands as a background. Naruto’s eyes roam over his torso and he feels his face heating up a little. There’s something about the way Naruto stares at him that makes his stomach swirl. In a good way.

Sasuke takes a hold of Naruto’s cock and squeezes it lightly. He starts to slowly stroke it and leans in to lick the slit. Naruto says his name huskily and Sasuke takes the head into his mouth, continuing to slowly touch the length of it. He notices that Naruto’s isn’t short… Not as long as Sasuke’s, but a bit thicker to make up for it. He starts to slowly lower his mouth until he has to stop moving his hand.

Naruto moans and watches him hornily, holding onto the sheets. Sasuke pulls off him with a pop and looks up at him, still stroking him.

“If you run off in the morning I won’t forgive you, soulmate or not,” Sasuke tells him jokingly, a playful glint in his eyes.

“Ngh,” Naruto responds, eyes almost shut and eyebrows furrowed.

He starts to buck his hips into Sasuke’s hand eagerly and Sasuke stills him with a firm hand on one of his thighs.

“None of that,” Sasuke says.

He moves in again and slowly licks up and down with half-closed eyes. He flicks the tip through the condom with his tongue and Naruto presses up. Sasuke pushes him back down more firmly, this time. Naruto moans as Sasuke lowers himself as far as his epiglottis lets him. He turn off his gag reflex and pushes Naruto in farther, all the way to the base. Naruto gasps and moans Sasuke’s name, grabbing his hair. Sasuke carefully pulls back up and then takes Naruto in again. It hurts his throat a little and from experience he knows that his voice will be hoarse tomorrow, but he doesn’t mind for now.

Naruto cums after a few minutes. Sasuke pulls back and takes off Naruto’s condom. He tosses it into the trash can near his bed. Naruto lies back on the bed, exhausted and dazed. Sasuke smiles slyly at him and takes off his own pants beside the bed. He looks down at Naruto and quickly, Naruto focuses on him.

“You’re amazing. I can’t believe I’m your soulmate,” Naruto pants.

“Then don’t,” Sasuke replies, climbing onto the edge of the bed and straddling Naruto’s hips.

Naruto shifts until his legs are up on the bed too, and Sasuke moves to allow him. Naruto sits up and touches Sasuke’s cheek, bringing their faces close together. They let their breath mix for a moment before they lean together and close the distance. While they kiss, Naruto presses Sasuke onto his back on the bed. He pushes down Sasuke’s boxers as their tongues move against each other. They break for breath and Naruto sits up. He takes a glance at Sasuke’s hardened erection and feels himself stiffen a bit. Sasuke is big. Naruto gulps.

“Is something wrong?” Sasuke asks, sitting up and wrapping his arms around Naruto’s neck.

Naruto shakes his head, looking Sasuke in the eye again and blushing. Sasuke climbs into his lap, still facing him.

“You’re unfairly attractive, you know that?” Naruto comments.

Sasuke laughs breathlessly and kisses Naruto again. He starts to play with himself and Naruto grabs a condom off the strip. He tears it open and touches him as well, letting Sasuke’s hand guide him. Then Sasuke retracts his hand and tosses his head back as Naruto keeps touching him. Sasuke keeps his hands hooked behind Naruto’s head and starts to play with his messy blonde hair. It is really soft. He briefly wonders what conditioner Naruto uses.

Then he gets caught up in the feeling again and stops thinking about anything except that and Naruto’s naked body pressed against him. He takes Naruto’s half-hard cock in his own hand and strokes it back to its full potential before he puts a second condom on it. Naruto gasps his name but keeps touching him as Sasuke returns the sensation. It doesn’t take much longer before Sasuke is cumming, moaning Naruto’s name. He rests his head on Naruto’s shoulder, gasping. Naruto chuckles and takes off Sasuke’s condom for him. Sasuke lets him go in his afterglow, and Naruto beats himself off until he cums too, tracing the muscles of Sasuke’s chest and calling his name again. They tie the condoms and Naruto throws them into the garbage.

They lie down in the bed together and pull the covers over both of them, facing each other. Sasuke rests his hand on Naruto’s hip and tucks the other under his head. Naruto mimics the posture. As Sasuke’s eyes start to close, Naruto gently brushes his dark bangs out of his face for him and kisses Sasuke’s pale forehead. The corner of Sasuke’s mouth tilts up slightly.

“I love you,” Naruto whispers.

Sasuke cracks an eye open and Naruto sees that they’re back to their usual coal black shade. He smiles slightly. A few moments later and they’ve both fallen asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto cracks his eyes open to find sunlight filtering through the blinds. He looks around at an unfamiliar room and sees three opened condom packages on the bed. He blinks and realizes he has a pounding headache. God, he doesn’t even remember how much he drank last night. Where is he, anyway? Oh right… Snatches of the night before start returning to him. Sasuke’s skin… His touch… His tongue. Naruto blushes. They had sex last night. He checks under the covers and realizes that he’s naked. But Sasuke isn’t here… So where is he?

Naruto gets out of bed and hears the shower running. He follows the sound and peeks into the bathroom. The door was left cracked open. Sasuke’s shadow shows through the curtain and Naruto gulps. Then he realizes… That Sasuke is singing.

“I… Don’t wanna hear you got a boyfriend. Sometimes… You’re better off alone. But if you change your mind, you know where I am. Yeah, if you change your mind, you know where to find me. 'Cause I… Don't ever wanna be your boyfriend.”

He has a nice voice, Naruto thinks. It sounds a little scratchy right now, but nonetheless it’s sexy and elegant, just like everything else about the jerk.

“Damn,” Naruto quietly curses.

“And never did I think that I… Would be caught in the way you got me! Push another girl aside, and just give in. Girls love girls and boys! Girls love girls and boys! And never did I think that I… Would be caught in the way you got me! But girls love girls and boys. And love is not a choice,” Sasuke continues, as he starts washing his hair.

Naruto opens the door a little wider and leans on the frame to keep listening. Who knew Sasuke was into Panic! At the Disco. It’s not surprising, really, based on his brooding personality and punk appearance, but still.

“Pose, you've gotta save your reputation. They're close… To finding out about your girlfriend. But if you change your mind, you know where I am. Yeah, if you change your mind, you know where to find me. 'Cause I don't wanna save your reputation. And never did I think that I… Would be caught in the way you got me! Push another girl aside, and just give in. Girls love girls and boys! Girls love girls and boys! And never did I think that I… Would be caught in the way you got me! But girls love girls and boys. And love is not a choice,” he repeats.

“I am just a villain vying for attention from a girl? A girl who can't decide and here's the reason why. Girls love girls and boys! Girls love girls and boys! Girls love girls and boys!”

“Sophisticated, manipulated,” Naruto adds quietly.

“Girls love girls and boys!” Sasuke continues.

“Sophisticated, manipulated,” Naruto repeats, slightly louder this time.

“And never did I think that I… Would be caught in the way you got me! But girls love girls and boys. And love is not a choice,” Sasuke finishes.

He shuts off the water and Naruto remains leaning on the doorframe, naked. Sasuke pulls the shower curtain aside and sighs when he sees Naruto standing there. He hands Sasuke the towel from the rack by the door and Sasuke dries off his hair first, then wraps the towel around his waist. He stands in front of the mirror and takes a comb out of the drawer below the sink. Naruto checks him out as Sasuke combs his hair and then puts some Pomade in it. He dries it with a hair dryer and combs it again, putting a little more product in. Naruto snorts.

“You do a lot with your hair,” he comments.

“And?”

“I think it’s nice,” Naruto adds.

“Hn.”

“You’re a really good singer. I didn’t know you were into Panic! At the Disco,” Naruto says.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Naruto lets his eyes roam again and follows the curve of Sasuke’s back and his butt. The towel obscures some of the view, but he’s still turned on by what he can see. It’s pretty damn visible too, since he still isn’t wearing anything.

Sasuke glances over and notices.

“If you’re expecting me to do something about that problem of yours, I wouldn’t get my hopes up,” Sasuke comments, his voice more noticeably dry.

“Your voice is hoarse,” Naruto comments.

“What the hell did you think happens when you deepthroat someone?” Sasuke retorts, turning to him at last.

Naruto blushes lightly and Sasuke smirks. He steps closer and Naruto backs against the wall a bit. Sasuke puts his hands on Naruto’s hips and presses into him.

“Eh, usuratonkachi?” Sasuke adds deeply.

They kiss and it quickly turns desperate from Naruto. He opens his mouth to let Sasuke in and their tongues move together, powerful and forceful. Sasuke pins Naruto’s hands above his head against the wall and lets the towel around his waist fall. Naruto grinds their hips together and Sasuke swallows Naruto’s moan from it. He makes sure to keep Naruto’s hands restrained, but with one hand now. He pushes the other through Naruto’s hair.

“How can you do this with a pounding headache?” Naruto asks breathlessly, still shamelessly grinding on Sasuke.

“Advil.”

Naruto chuckles.

“Of course.”

“Want some?” Sasuke offers.

Naruto nods. Sasuke backs up and lets him go, which makes Naruto whine. He walks back over to the mirror and opens the cabinet behind. Sasuke pulls out a bottle of pills and hands two to Naruto. Then he picks up an upside down glass from beside the sink and fills it with water. He hands that to Naruto as well. Naruto thanks him and downs the pills and the water, then steps up behind Sasuke to wrap his arms around him.

“Wanna go for it? This time when we’re sober?” Naruto asks.

“Dobe. I’d like some breakfast first, at least. Afterwards… We’ll see. When do you have to get home by?” Sasuke responds.

Naruto’s eyes widen. His phone… His friends are probably wondering where he went. He rushes back to the bedroom with Sasuke calling after him. Naruto finds his pants and tugs his phone out of one of the pockets. He breathes a sigh of relief. Then he inhales again.

Four missed calls. Two from Kiba, one from Shikamaru, and one from Sakura. Shikamaru also sent him a few texts.

Sh: Where are you?

Sh: Naruto I’ve looked everywhere dude we need you. You’re the only one I know who can do a keg stand. I bet on you.

Kiba also sent him a message.

K: Naruto it’s 12am what the fuck dude. Did you ditch with Sasuke? I’ll kill you if you did.

K: Seriously though, where are you? I need my best wingman.

Naruto snorts and sends his replies. He sends the same thing to both.

N: Sorry yeah i ditched with Sasuke and spent the night at his place. Think i’ll stay here a little while.

Shikamaru replies quickly.

Sh: Jerk. See ya then.

Naruto sighs again and sets his phone on the bedside table. He looks around for the rest of his clothes and frowns at the idea of walking home in last night’s costume.

“Need a change of clothes?” Sasuke asks, reading his movements.

Naruto looks up at him gratefully.

“Please. If you’ve got anything that fits,” he replies.

Sasuke nods and walks over to his closet. He opens it and reaches into the back. He pulls out a dark grey hoodie that’s obviously too big for him, a pair of red boxers, and some jeans that miraculously aren’t dark or skinny. Naruto grins at the outfit.

“Thanks,” he says.

Sasuke nods. He hands the clothes to Naruto and digs back into his closet to get out a jade green t-shirt for himself, ripped skinny jeans, and black boxers.

They dress in the same room, but neither really stares. When they’re ready, Sasuke and Naruto leave the bedroom and head to the kitchen. Sasuke asks Naruto what he wants and lists the options. Naruto settles on cereal. Honey Nut Cheerios are the only brand Sasuke has, but Naruto tells him that’s his favorite, next to Lucky Charms.

Sasuke laughs and puts a bagel in the toaster for himself.

~+~+~+~+~

By the time Naruto heads back to his dorm, Shikamaru is lying on his bed with his arms behind his head, frowning at the ceiling.

“Hey,” Naruto greets as he comes in and puts his keys on his desk.

“Yo. So how’d your night go?” Shikamaru replies, sounding unhappy.

“Really well. My morning, too.”

“Jeez Naruto, I don’t need to know everything about your sex life. But good job. I heard someone mention they saw you making out with Sasuke in the living room. She seemed kind of upset.”

Naruto chuckles and winces. His headache is starting to return. He considers going out to the store and investing in some Advil himself.

“Hangover?” Shikamaru asks.

“Yeah,” Naruto replies, sitting down on his bed.

Shikamaru looks over at him and raises an eyebrow.

“Those weren’t the clothes you went out in,” he comments.

“Heh, no, they’re Sasuke’s. He lent them to me and told me to pick up my costume the next time I come over.”

Shikamaru stares back up at the ceiling and nods slightly.

“Did you drink enough to forget everything last night? Because I don’t know how I got home, and I only remember snatches of the party,” Shikamaru says.

“Haha. No, I remember most of my night. When I first woke up though, I was really confused. I had no clue why I was naked in Sasuke’s bed with condom wrappers around.”

Shikamaru throws a sock at him and Naruto dodges it.

“How’s your soulmate? Temari, right?”

“Yeah. She’s doing well, last I heard.”

“Isn’t she from Suni?” Naruto asks.

If there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s remembering people.

“Yeah,” Shikamaru responds.

“Hm. I feel like we could both use some water and some Advil,” Naruto says.

“Mmhm.”

Naruto sits back up slowly.

“Then I’ll go get some,” he offers, standing back up and grabbing his keys.

Shikamaru thanks him as Naruto walks out the door.

Naruto walks down the street, hands in the pockets of the sweatshirt. He feels the fall chill and feels goosebumps rise on his skin. Fall. That means finals are just a few months away. But after finals, Sasuke’s coming home with Naruto for the holidays. Naruto smiles to himself at that.

He gets to the small convenience store and picks a package of waters off the shelf, along with a bottle of Tylenol and a pack of granola bars. He takes them up to the counter and pays. The cashier gives him a pitying, knowing smile as she rings him up.

“Party last night?” she asks.

“Yeah,” Naruto replies, fishing through his wallet for the right bills. “But this is mostly for my roommate. He stayed a little later than I did.”

She chuckles.

“I remember college parties. Was it fun?” she asks, taking the cash.

“Yeah, from what I remember,” Naruto tells her with a smile.

“Go home with anyone?”

“My soulmate.”

“Oh, interesting. I still haven’t met mine. Here’s your change,” she says, handing him some ones and coins.

He puts the coins in the tips jar and replies, “Well, color is incredible. Believe it!”

She laughs and tells him that she’s sure it is. They wave goodbye as Naruto walks out.

On the walk back, Naruto all but stops in his tracks when he remembers telling Sasuke he loves him last night. Sasuke hadn’t said it back, but he’d smiled and opened his eyes to look at him. What if Sasuke doesn’t believe in soulmates because he can’t love people? What if he’s aromantic? Obviously, he isn’t asexual, but maybe that’s why he seems so hesitant to be in a relationship with Naruto. He makes up his mind. He’ll ask Sasuke the next time they see each other in class tomorrow.

~+~+~+~+~

“Sasuke?” Naruto asks before class starts.

“Yeah?” Sasuke replies, tapping his pencil on his desk.

“Um… Are you aromantic?”

Sasuke looks over at him, frowning.

“No, what makes you think that?”

“Oh. Well, I just figured that might be why you don’t like soulmates and stuff, and maybe why you don’t really like public displays of affection,” Naruto explains nervously.

“Hey. I don’t believe in soulmates because it’s ridiculous. And I don’t avoid PDA, do I?”

“Well… You usually aren’t the one to make the first move unless we’re alone.”

“Really? You’re saying that when almost every time we’ve kissed, I’ve been the one to do it?” Sasuke questions.

“Uh, heh, I guess you’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I just don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable with,” Naruto tells him.

Sasuke nods.

“Thanks. But trust me, I’m fine.”

Naruto chuckles and scratches the back of his neck, grinning goofily. Sasuke rolls his eyes and looks back at their professor, who’s trying to get class started. The bell rings and everyone shuts up.

~+~+~+~+~

“Hey Naruto, will you be going home for Thanksgiving?” Sasuke asks as they get ready to leave class.

The two of them have taken to walking part way to their next class together, after communications.

“No, why?” Naruto says.

“Well, Itachi’s coming. I thought you might like to meet him,” Sasuke replies.

Naruto grins.

“You better believe I do! Just tell me when!”

Sasuke smiles softly.

“Alright. Try not to embarrass yourself in front of him. He acts even colder than I do,” Sasuke tells him.

Naruto laughs.

“I bet that’s not even possible.”

Sasuke rolls his eyes.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Alright. Well, see you around!” Naruto calls as they part ways.

Sasuke nods and keeps walking to class. Itachi won’t mind meeting Naruto. He’s met Sasuke’s boyfriends before, but never really liked any of them. Seems like he was always right about them, anyway. They usually ended up either being sociopaths or just general jerks.

In fact, Sasuke hasn’t been with anyone seriously except for one relationship with a man who ended up hurting him. After a few months with him, Sasuke had stolen the guy’s wallet and packed a bag, then taken a train to Itachi’s in the middle of the night.

That was a couple of years ago. Since then, Sasuke’s only hooked up with guys through apps like Tinder, and at clubs.

Yet, here’s Naruto. Someone who has managed to worm his way into every crack of Sasuke’s life, including his art, just because he made him see color. What a jerk. Sasuke smiles even as he thinks that. Then he realizes that if Itachi doesn’t approve of Naruto, he doesn’t want to let him go. He frowns. Then he remembers that there’s no reason why Itachi wouldn’t like him. Naruto’s like the hotter, younger, slightly less intelligent version of Steve Rogers. Still with that all-american, blonde, white, farm-boy feel. Muscles and all. The cherry on top is that he’s in love with Sasuke.

Sasuke gets to the art building and sits down in his usual seat. He props his elbows on the table and folds his hands to rest his chin atop them. Naruto loves him. He loves Naruto too, but he isn’t going to say it just yet… Saying something like that gives the person you say it to the power to destroy you, and Sasuke isn’t sure he’s ready for that. He’s been broken enough. Soulmates or not, things might not work out between them. Sasuke doesn’t want to get burned again.

In class, Sasuke just paints this piece of Naruto he’s been working on. It’s a picture of him shirtless, from the ribcage up. The edges are painted jaggedly. The background is one of fire with shadows arcing through it. He’s proud of the way it’s turning out so far. Since he’s learned to see color, it’s really gotten easier to paint. Color schemes are easier to create and use. This piece of Naruto uses mostly warm hues and tones. Sasuke intends to give it to his boyfriend once it’s finished.

His professor comes by halfway through class and takes a look at his painting.

“You’ve been doing a lot of pictures of this boy, lately,” he comments.

Sasuke doesn’t reply, or even make any gesture to show that he’s heard.

“Who is he?”

“Naruto Uzumaki.”

“Hm. Is he a friend of yours? Your soulmate, maybe? I’ve noticed that your perception of color is much better.”

Sasuke stays silent, still painting. His professor watches him a minute longer before he moves onto a different student.

~+~+~+~+~

S: Nii-san, my boyfriends joining us for Thanksgiving

I: Who is he?

S: His names Naruto

I: Interesting. Tell him I look forward to meeting him.

S: Alright

Sasuke walks over to Naruto’s lunch table, phone in hand. He sits down next to him.

“Itachi’s looking forward to meeting you,” he tells Naruto casually.

“Really? Great!” Naruto exclaims.

“Who’s Itachi?” Shikamaru asks.

“My older brother,” Sasuke answers.

“Ah. Aren’t you going to introduce Naruto to your parents, too?” Sakura asks.

Sasuke glares at her. Naruto calms him down by taking his hand and squeezing it gently under the table.

“No,” he answers for Sasuke.

Sasuke gives him a small grateful smile and squeezes his hand back. The others watch this encounter curiously. Shikamaru’s eyes widen slightly and his mouth forms an “oh”.

Naruto looks at him and Shikamaru nods understandingly. Naruto nods back, a sign of thanks. Kiba and Sakura are watching them with confusion etching their features.

“What the hell?” Kiba asks.

“Don’t worry about it,” Naruto tells him.

Kiba raises an eyebrow but lets it go. So does Sakura. They all eat their lunches and go back to their usual topics of conversation.

~+~+~+~+~

Thanksgiving is in two days. Itachi is arriving tonight. Sasuke has to go to the airport to pick him up. It’s 10pm on a Tuesday night when his brother’s flight is scheduled to land. Sasuke sits in his apartment, waiting for his brother to call and ask to be let in from the street. He turns on the TV to wait. Itachi is going to be sleeping on the pull-out couch, when he finally gets here.

Around eleven, Sasuke’s phone rings and he answers it.

“Hello?”

“Sasuke? Can you come let me in?” Itachi’s voice asks.

“Sure. I’ll be down in a second,” Sasuke replies, shutting off the TV and getting up.

He goes down to the lobby of the apartment building and opens the door. Itachi crosses the threshold into the building and stops in front of Sasuke.

“Hey,” Itachi greets.

“Hello,” Sasuke replies, smirking up at him. Itachi’s still a little taller.

“It’s nice to see you. You’ve grown,” Itachi comments, patting Sasuke on the top of the head.

Sasuke snorts and rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Let’s go up to my apartment and catch up a little. Naruto said he’ll come over Thursday afternoon, but I have classes tomorrow, so I’ll be gone all day. Feel free to walk around town or whatever. I’ll lend you my spare key. Come on,” Sasuke sasys. With that, he turns around and leads the way upstairs to his apartment.

Itachi whistles softly as he looks around it.

“You’re doing well then, I presume,” Itachi comments.

“Yeah. Mom and Dad’s inheritance really helped me pay for most of it,” Sasuke says.

Itachi nods.

“Do you have a job?” he asks.

“Besides selling my paintings and doing commissions online, not really,” Sasuke replies, going into the kitchen. “Do you want anything?”

“A drink would be nice,” Itachi says, sitting on the couch.

“What kind? I’ve got beer, whiskey, soda, water, and lemonade. Don’t blame me for the beer or the soda, that’s Naruto’s fault,” Sasuke adds when Itachi raises an eyebrow at him delicately.

“I see. I’ll take some whiskey, if that’s alright,” Itachi replies.

Sasuke nods and takes it out of the cupboard above the fridge. He gets a glass out of a different cabinet and pours Itachi a glass.

“Ice?”

“Just one or two.”

Sasuke puts an ice cube in the glass after he pours the whiskey. He puts away the bottle and walks back over to the living room. He hands Itachi his drink and sits across from his brother, in the armchair.

“So, Naruto’s a pretty big influence on you,” Itachi notices.

Sasuke sighs.

“Yeah.”

Itachi looks at him for a few moments.

“What?” Sasuke asks eventually.

“Nothing. How long have you two been together again?” Itachi questions.

“Coming up on four months.”

“Really? And he’s already all but moved in? You must really like him, Sasuke.”

“I do.”

Itachi takes a sip of his drink and considers his younger brother.

“Can you see color yet?”

“Yes.”

“Who caused that?”

Sasuke waits a moment before he answers.

“Naruto.”

“I see. So that’s why. Of course,” Itachi says, setting the glass down on the coffee table.

“Yes.”

“Do you still not believe in soulmates?” Itachi questions.

“I’m not really sure what to think, anymore,” Sasuke answers honestly.

It’s almost as if Naruto’s changed every aspect of his life by just being a part of it.

“Love is a beautiful thing, and should therefore always be treated with great care,” Itachi warns, picking up his glass again.

Sasuke nods.

“You admit that you love him?” Itachi asks, narrowing his eyes at Sasuke slightly.

Sasuke startles. He hadn’t meant to admit that quite yet. He still hasn’t even said it back to Naruto, although Naruto has told him at least five times since Halloween night.

“You haven’t told him, have you?” Itachi inquires softly, leaning forward.

Sasuke looks at the floor.

“No, I haven’t.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want him to leave,” Sasuke admits quietly.

Itachi leans back again, the corners of his mouth quirked up in almost a smile.

“I understand perfectly.”

Sasuke looks up at him again, confused.

“You’re afraid to give him the power to hurt you like your exes did. From just what you’ve told me already, I don’t think he will. Not if either of you can help it. He believes in soulmates, right?”

“Yes, but I’ve already told him that he doesn’t have to try to make it work between us just because of that, if he’s unhappy,” Sasuke replies.

“Sasuke. If he really loves you, then he’s already told you that he doesn’t intend to,” Itachi says firmly.

Sasuke recalls the day he told Naruto why he didn’t want them telling people, and the fact that Naruto had responded with how he didn’t care if they were soulmates or not, that he wanted to be with Sasuke no matter what other people thought. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to tell him.

“I guess I should go to bed. One of my professors hinted that we might get a pop quiz thrown at us tomorrow,” Sasuke tells his brother.

Itachi nods.

“Alright. Sleep well. I presume I’m sleeping here, on the pullout couch?”

“Yes. The blankets and things are already on it, and pillows are here,” Sasuke replies, pointing to the two under the coffee table.

Itachi nods and Sasuke leaves the room. He gets ready for bed and falls asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Sasuke wakes up in the morning with a hard-on and the remnants of a dream involving Naruto in his head. He sits up and stares at his crotch for a moment before he turns off his alarm. With a sigh, Sasuke gets out of bed and heads to the bathroom. He turns on the water in the shower and takes off his pajama pants and his boxers, the only things he sleeps in. He locks the bathroom door. After the water heats up enough, Sasuke steps into the water and braces himself with his left hand on the wall.

Sasuke jerks off to the remains of the dream, and to memories of Naruto’s skin against his the first and only time they’ve had sex so far.

They may have been drunk, but they were both sober enough to want it and remember most of it. After Sasuke finishes, he washes off and then shuts off the water. He gets out of the shower and dries off. He wraps the towel around his waist and heads back to his room with his pajamas under his arm. Once in his bedroom, Sasuke walks over to his closet and puts his boxers in the hamper. He sets the pajama pants on top of his dresser and starts getting dressed.

Sasuke leaves his room in dark, regular jeans, a grey tank top, and a black, wool jacket with a wide collar that has a zipper on the left shoulder. He pulls on a pair of green suede shoes and leaves his room. He hangs the towel in the bathroom and heads to the kitchen. He makes himself a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios and eats it as Itachi wakes up.

“Mind letting your jetlagged guest sleep in a bit?” Itachi grumbles.

Sasuke snorts.

“You’re fine. You can nap all day. It’s your fault for choosing the redeye. Besides, it’s not like you don’t have as fucked a sleep schedule as I do. If not worse,” Sasuke comments.

Itachi sits up.

“I suppose you’re right,” he sighs.

“I’ve got to go soon, nii-san. See you later,” Sasuke says, putting his empty bowl in the dishwasher.

He grabs his keys off the counter and heads towards the door. He picks up his backpack and slings it over one shoulder.

“If you get arrested, don’t call me,” Sasuke deadpans.

“Good to know,” Itachi replies. “Have a good day.”

“Yeah, you too.”

Sasuke turns and leaves. He heads downstairs and mounts his motorcycle. He starts it up and rides to school.

~+~+~+~+~

At lunch, Sasuke is as usual sitting with Naruto and his group.

“Hey, didn’t Itachi come in last night?” Naruto asks him.

“Yeah, he’s at my place. Probably. I left him my spare keys but he’s not gonna leave the apartment until at least 1pm.”

“Okay, cool. You said it’s alright if I come over tomorrow afternoon, right?” Naruto checks.

“Yeah, and you can spend the night if you want, too. It’s not like Shikamaru wants you hanging around, right?” Sasuke asks.

Shikamaru laughs. His girlfriend, Temari, is sitting next to him. Over the course of the last two weeks, she’s been sitting with them and getting to know all of them, and they her. She’s nice. A good match for Shikamaru.

“Nah, it would be nice to have the dorm for myself for once and not have to wake up to Naruto moaning your name in his sleep,” Shikamaru taunts.

“Hey! That was one time!” Naruto exclaims, pointing.

Shikamaru puts his hands up in mock surrender.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow at Naruto and smirks.

“It… Just shut up,” Naruto pouts, blushing and looking embarrassed.

Sasuke laughs and takes his hand on top of the table. They interlace their fingers and Kiba pretends to gag. Naruto just smiles at Sasuke.

“Dobe,” Sasuke calls him.

“Bastard.”

“Get your diabetes away from here,” Sakura jokes, tossing a grape at them.

They laugh and dodge it.

“Careful, Sakura, don’t start another foodfight with these two around. Don’t forget the last time,” Shikamaru warns.

“Yeah,” Choji agrees.

Naruto laughs nervously and scratches the back of his neck with his free hand as Sasuke just smirks challengingly.

“Right,” Sakura agrees.

“What happened?” Temari asks.

“A while ago, a foodfight broke out,” Choji recounts. “Those two disappeared and ended up making out under the table. That was also the day all of us found out they were soulmates.”

“I see,” she replies.

“They came out from beneath the table and Naruto had a hickey on his neck,” Lee adds.

Neji nods.

“Really?” Temari comments, watching the couple curiously.

Everyone but them nods. She cracks a smile.

“Good for you two,” she tells them.

~+~+~+~+~

Sasuke gets home and heads up to his apartment after parking his bike outside. He unlocks the door and walks in. Itachi is watching TV on the couch and looks up when Sasuke enters.

“How was school?” he asks.

“Fine,” Sasuke replies, dropping his bag. “Like I told you, I’m off tomorrow and Friday.”

“Yes.”

“What do you want to do, tonight?” Sasuke asks.

“Why don’t you show me around town a bit?” Itachi suggests. “We could go out for dinner.”

“I know a decent place. Let’s go,” Sasuke replies.

Itachi stands up and follows Sasuke outside. They get on the motorcycle, Sasuke lending Itachi a spare helmet, and drive to Ferrigno’s.

Sakura greets them as they come in.

“Sasuke!” she exclaims, smiling.

“Hey, Sakura. This is my brother, Itachi. Itachi, my friend Sakura,” Sasuke responds.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Itachi tells her, inclining his head slightly.

“You too,” she replies. “Come with me, I’ll show you guys to your table.”

She picks up the menus and leads them to a table along the side of the restaurant, with a chair on either side. They put their coats on the backs of their chairs and sit down. She places their menus in front if them, handing Itachi the drinks one as well.

“Thanks,” Sasuke tells her.

Sakura nods and walks away.

“You have friends,” Itachi comments, picking up and scanning the menu.

“Yes. Naruto introduced me to them,” Sasuke explains, doing te same.

“It’s nice to know my little brother has decided not to remain a hermit for the rest of his life,” Itachi teases.

Sasuke rolls his eyes and puts down the menu. He knows what he’ll get. Shikamaru comes over.

“Hey Sasuke, and you must be Itachi, right?” he asks.

Itachi looks up and nods.

“Nice to meet you. Sasuke hasn’t said much about you to anyone but Naruto, but… the rest of us overhear. I’m Shikamaru,” he introduces.

“Nice to meet you too,” Itachi replies.

“So, what can I get you two to drinkk?”

“I’ll have an iced tea and some water,” Sasuke tells him.

“I’ll have red wine. Chef’s choice,” Itachi adds.

Shikamaru nods and writes it down, then walks away.

“He said ‘the rest of us’,” Itachi says.

“Yes.”

“How many friends do you have, now?”

“Hn. About ten?” Sasuke answers.

“Really? And all because of Naruto?”

“Yes.”

Itachi watches him for a moment.

“I am really looking forward to meeting him, now,” Itachi says.

Sasuke looks back at him.

Shikamaru brings their drinks and tells Itachi what kind of wine it is. Sasuke and Itachi order their meals and Shikamaru leaves again.

“Has he offered for you to meet his family, yet?” Itachi asks.

Sasuke nods.

“I’ll be spending Christmas with them.”

“Interesting. And do you know what they’re like?”

“He’s told me a little. They’re his adoptive parents. Iruka and Kakashi Hatake. He was an orphan from birth, but apparently the Hatakes knew his biological parents,” Sasuke tells him.

Itachi nods understandingly.

“Have you mentioned Mom and Dad?” he asks Sasuke.

He nods.

“I told him what happened,” Sasuke replies.

Itachi looks surprised for a moment.

“You did?”

“Yes. There wasn’t any point in hiding it,” Sasuke claims.

You didn’t tell anyone you dated before, though. You’d avoid the topic,” Itachi recalls.

“Maybe that’s changed,” Sasuke retorts, tone growing hostile.

The two Uchiha brothers stare at each other for a few moments, Sasuke with narrowed hostile eyes and Itachi with calculating ones.

“Do you want to come visit their grave with me this year?” Itachi asks quietly.

“No,” Sasuke replies firmly and quickly.

“Sasuke… The only time you did was for a funeral.”

“And?”

“You should pay your respects once in awhile,” Itachi tells him.

Sasuke stares down at the table. He doesn’t want to.

Shikamaru saves him from Itachi’s questioning glare by bringing their meals. They thank him and Shikamaru notices Sasuke’s posture after putting the plates down. He looks withdrawn and almost defeated. Shikamaru doesn’t comment, though. This is obviously a private conversation.

“This looks good,” Itachi comments after Shikamaru leaves.

“Yeah.”

They start eating. Throughout the meal, occasionally they talk a little more about Itachi’s work and Sasuke’s classes. Naruto comes up a few more times. Each time Itachi hears a little more about him, he gets more interested in meeting him.

~+~+~+~+~

Naruto digs through his closet to find a nice, red button up and a pair of dark blue jeans. He packs a backpack with Sasuke’s spare clothes (minus the grey sweatshirt from Halloween… Naruto intends to keep that) and a change of clothes. He packs a toothbrush and a hair comb as well. He waves goodbye to Shikamaru and heads out.

On the way to Sasuke’s apartment, Naruto stops at the flower shop and picks up a bouquet filled with red and blue flowers of varying shades. When he gets to Sasuke’s building, he sends a text to let his boyfriend know he’s outside. Naruto hides the bouquet behind his back.

After a minute, Sasuke comes downstairs wearing white pants and a black and grey striped sweater. The collar of a pale blue button up comes over the collar and a black bow tie brings the outfit together.

They share a kiss and Naruto hands Sasuke the flowers before he steps into the lobby.

Sasuke’s mouth opens in surprise and he takes the bouquet with wide eyes. Naruto grins at him.

“Thanks,” Sasuke says.

“Yeah. Can I come in and meet your brother, or…?” Naruto replies.

“Right. Come on, dobe,” Sasuke tells him, finally turning from the door and leading him upstairs.

They walk into the apartment and Itachi turns to look at them from the couch. The first thing he notices are the flowers in Sasuke’s hands. Then he sees Naruto.

“Hello,” Itachi greets, standing up and walking over to them.

“Nice to meet you! You’re Itachi, right?” Naruto asks cheerfully.

Itachi smiles slightly and nods, extending his hand.

“And you’re Naruto. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Itachi replies when Naruto takes it.

“Haha, really?” Naruto asks.

They release each other’s hand and look at Sasuke, who is glowering at Itachi.

Itachi chuckles at his brother’s expression.

“Yeah, he’s just so in l-” Itachi starts.

“I can and will murder you in your sleep,” Sasuke threatens.

Naruto chuckles nervously and Itachi just smiles serenely.

“Well, weren’t you planning on starting dinner and setting up a movie to watch?” Itachi suggests after a moment.

Sasuke sighs and nods. He walks away into the kitchen and yells from it.

“Naruto, you know how to work the DVD player, you two choose something. Nothing dumb!”

Itachi laughs and Naruto smiles, walking over to the bookshelf. He puts a hand to his chin and scans the shelves.

Naruto grins when his eyes land on one with a fair amount of pink on the front. He picks it out and shows it to Itachi, careful to keep it hidden from Sasuke’s view. Itachi smiles and nods. Naruto licks his lips and opens the box. He slides the CD into the slot and picks up the remote. He turns on the TV and switches the source. He presses play but pauses it before it starts actually playing, just to get it off the title screen.

Itachi smirks.

“This is brilliant. I’ve been trying to get him to watch it for years,” he claims.

Naruto snickers.

“Okay, the turkey’s in the oven,” Sasuke tells them, coming out of the kitchen and sitting on the couch next to Naruto, between him and Itachi.

Sasuke leans on Naruto’s shoulder and pulls his legs up onto the couch. He folds them so he’s not bothering his brother.

“What did you two pick?” he asks.

Naruto and Itachi grin at each other before they look at Sasuke.

“We’ll tell you after you tell us what you think,” Itachi replies.

Sasuke glances between them suspicously.

“What are you planning? What have you done? You weren’t supposed to get along this well right away,” Sasuke says. “Nii-san, why are you being weird?”

Naruto’s eyes widen comically and he stares at Sasuke, gaping.

“Did you just… Call him nii-san?” Naruto asks at Sasuke’s questioning glare.

“Yes? And?”

“That’s just… really adorable,” Naruto says.

“Your weeb is showing,” Sasuke comments as he looks back at the screen. He sighs and picks up the remote, pressing play. “Let’s get this over with.”

Naruto wraps his arm around Sasuke’s shoulders and hugs him closer. Itachi notices and stays silent.

Partway through the movie, the timer goes off in the kitchen and Sasuke gets up to cook some more. Itachi and Naruto pause it while he’s gone, despite his insistence that they don’t need to.

When Sasuke returns and sits back down, they resume the movie. This happens a few times.

After the movie ends, Itachi and Naruto look at Sasuke expectantly.

“So?” Naruto asks.

“That was an interesting movie…” Sasuke replies. “I can’t say I liked it, but it wasn’t that bad.”

Naruto grins.

“What was it, anyway?” Sasuke asks them both.

“Mean Girls,” Itachi replies, smiling wryly.

Sasuke turns and stares at him.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Fuck you!” Sasuke tells him, hitting him on the arm.

Naruto laughs.

“Hey, Naruto picked it out,” Itachi defends.

Sasuke turns to his boyfriend with an expression of mock betrayal. Naruto laughs and blocks his first assault with a pillow, which Sasuke seizes and proceeds to hit Naruto with. Naruto just keeps laughing, even when he’s pushed onto his back with Sasuke straddling his waist. Itachi smiles on the side, trying to stay out of the way.

Eventually, Sasuke stops and just stares down at Naruto, smiling softly.

“I hate you,” he says.

“Tough luck,” Naruto replies.

“Why’s that?” Sasuke questions, raising a delicate eyebrow.

“Because, I love you,” Naruto tells him, smiling, with his hands up to block the pillow.

Sasuke just smiles back at him and hands him the pillow.

Itachi clears his throat. Sasuke backs off Naruto and lets him sit up. Sasuke smirks and fluffs up Naruto’s hair.

“Usuratonkachi.”

“Bastard.”

Both of them keeps smiling softly at each other.

“Just kiss already,” Itachi tells them jokingly.

Sasuke glances at him and Naruto laughs. Then Sasuke really does lean in and kiss Naruto on the lips. Naruto takes a moment to get over his surprise, but soon kisses Sasuke back properly. Itachi sighs and looks away. After a moment, Sasuke pulls away and Naruto just stares at him, looking stunned.

“You know I was joking,” Itachi says.

“Oh, I know,” Sasuke replies, still staring at Naruto.

“I know Naruto is spending the night, but if I hear you two having sex tonight I’m taking the first flight I can get home, and I will absolutely mention it at your wedding.”

Naruto starts laughing and Sasuke snorts.

Then he frowns slightly. Itachi’s never mentioned Sasuke getting married when he dated other guys. Not to mention how much he seems to like Naruto. Maybe he really should hang on to this boy…

Just then, the final timer goes off and Sasuke rushes to the kitchen. He takes the turkey out of the oven, pours the gravy and cranberry sauce into two separate bowls, sets out the mashed potatoes, rolls, and peas. He puts a bottle of red wine on the table and lights the candles. Then he calls Naruto and Itachi in.

When Naruto sees the setup, he whistles lowly. Itachi smirks and takes a seat. Naruto and Sasuke sit next to each other around the circular table. The three of them put their napkins in their laps. Itachi and Sasuke say a short thanks before all of them start eating.

The meal is fantastic.

“Did you cook all of this?” Naruto asks Sasuke incredulously, mouth full of potatoes.

Sasuke makes a disgusted expression but nods.

“It’s amazing,” Naruto tells him.

“Thanks,” Sasuke replies, smiling thankfully for a second.

“It really is good,” Itachi agrees.

“Well, coming from you, Mr. I-eat-in-five-star-restaurants-every-other-week, that’s high praise indeed,” Sasuke teases, smirking.

Naruto snorts and Itachi rolls his eyes.

“Just take the compliment without making a sarcastic comment, for once,” Itachi tells his brother.

Sasuke keeps smirking.

~+~+~+~+~

After dinner, Naruto and Itachi insist on cleaning up and having Sasuke pick a movie. After a short period of reluctance, he gives in and lets them. Sasuke walks back into the living room and scans his shelves.

Naruto and Itachi clean up together, putting the leftovers in tupperware. After the dishwasher is loaded and running, and they’ve washed all the things that don’t go in it, they join Sasuke in the living room.

The menu for Spirited Away is showing on the screen. Sasuke is smiling and sitting under a blanket on the couch. Naruto snuggles up next to him, on the end. Itachi sits farther away, on the other side. Sasuke shares the blanket with Naruto next to him, and tells Itachi to get his own if he wants one.

They start the movie.

~+~+~+~+~

During the fourth movie, 21 Jump Street, Sasuke and Naruto start drifting off to sleep. Itachi wakes them up.

“Hey. Don’t you two start falling asleep on my bed,” he tells them. “If you guys are tired, we don’t have to keep watching this. It’s stupid anyway. Just go to bed.”

“Thanks, nii-san,” Sasuke replies tiredly, standing up and dragging the blanket with him. “Let’s go, Naruto,” he adds.

Naruto follows him groggily and they head to Sasuke’s bedroom. Itachi starts making the pull out couch, and shuts off the TV. Naruto and Sasuke lie down together in their boxers. Sasuke turns towards Naruto.

“Hn. Did you bring the clothes I lent you?” he asks.

“Yeah, they’re in my backpack,” Naruto replies.

Sasuke nods.

“Goodnight, usuratonkachi.”

“‘Night, babe.”

Sasuke blinks at the pet name but then smiles slightly. Naruto smiles back at him and soon closes his eyes. Once Sasuke notices Naruto’s sleeping pattern starting to slow down, he whispers the words that have been in the back of his mind since Naruto gave him the flowers that are sitting in a vase in the kitchen, now.

“I love you.”

Naruto smiles and for a terrified moment, Sasuke wonders if Naruto heard him. Then Naruto starts to snore. Sasuke breathes a sigh of relief and lies on his other side, away from Naruto. After about half an hour, just as his mind starts drifting into sleep, Naruto wraps his body around him from behind. Sasuke smiles and takes one of Naruto’s hands, the one currently wrapping around Sasuke’s waist.

Naruto hums. Then Sasuke falls asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Sasuke wakes up with something poking him in the back. He turns his head a little to see Naruto hugging him. He sighs. Of course.

Sasuke tries to pull away and get up, but Naruto grumbles something and pulls him back. Sasuke sighs again and stays put.

“Naruto,” he calls eventually.

“Hn.”

“Naruto, please let me get up. I have to make sure Itachi hasn’t broken half of my belongings,” Sasuke tells him.

“Hn,” Naruto complains louder, burying his face in Sasuke’s neck.

“Naruto,” Sasuke whines.

“Sas-u-ke,” Naruto mumbles into his skin.

“Would you just let me get up? Please?” Sasuke pleads.

“Nn.”

Sasuke makes an exaggerated sigh and gives in. It won’t do any harm to stay with Naruto a little longer. Besides… Lying with him is nice.

If Sasuke had to admit that he thought that though, it’d be over his dead body.

After a while longer, more and more sunlight streams into the room and Sasuke has an idea. Why doesn’t he take Naruto and Itachi to the Art museum. Towards the back is a display from the college, and one of Sasuke’s pieces of Naruto is hanging there. The one he wants to give him, once they take it down. Of course; why hadn’t he thought of it before.

“Naruto,” Sasuke says.

“Hm?”

“Do you like museums or art galleries?”

Naruto blinks his eyes open slowly.

“Yeah, why?” he asks groggily.

“Well, maybe we can go to the Art museum today. Itachi’s never been,” Sasuke suggests.

“Sounds great,” Naruto replies.

“Thanks. But if we’re going, you and I need to get up and get dressed soon. We can’t sleep in until eleven,” Sasuke tells him.

Naruto sits up slowly and Sasuke does the same. Naruto rubs his eyes and then watches as Sasuke gets up and starts getting clothes out of his closet. Naruto finds himself transfixed once more by the ink along Sasuke’s skin.

“Hey dobe, I’m not going to do anything about that boner,” Sasuke taunts, turning around with his clothes in his arms.

Naruto looks down and groans when he sees it.

“Sorry,” he tells Sasuke.

“Don’t worry about it. If you want, you can borrow the shower, or you can wait for it to go away on its own. But Itachi is already going to be awake,” Sasuke says, pulling jeans on.

“Oh, man,” Naruto complains. “My clothes are in my backpack! I left it in your entry hall.”

“Want me to get it for you?” Sasuke asks.

“Please?” Naruto pleads, looking up at him.

Sasuke nods.

“I’ll be right back,” he replies after he pulls on his shirt.

Sasuke leaves the room. Naruto hears voices outside the door, but can’t make out what’s being said. Sasuke comes back a moment later with the backpack, and he closes the door behind him.

“Itachi wants to go,” Sasuke says. “Oh, and he’ll be leaving soon to get us coffee. What do you want?”

“Um, how about a blonde roast latte?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke nods and leaves for a moment. He comes back as the front door closes.

“He should be gone for at least a half an hour,” Sasuke says. “That’s more than enough time to deal with your issue.”

Naruto blinks at him for a moment, not understanding. Then it hits him.

“Oh! Oh, you mean…”

Naruto gestures to his crotch and Sasuke smirks.

“Yes, I do,” he replies.

Naruto swallows.

“If you don’t want to, that’s fine, I completely understand. The shower’s still open to you,” Sasuke says after a moment.

“No, I just… you said you weren’t going to.”

“Because Itachi was here. Now he’s not. We’ve got time.”

Naruto smiles and nods.

“Yeah, we do.”

Sasuke quirks an eyebrow up.

“Does that mean you want to?” he asks.

Naruto nods.

“Yeah, definitely,” he responds breathlessly.

Sasuke smirks.

“You sound eager,” he teases.

“Well, it’s been a while!”

“Since you got off?” Sasuke asks, pulling off his shirt and tossing it onto the ground.

“K-kinda,” Naruto replies, shamelessly staring at Sasuke’s torso again.

“Well, I can’t say the same, but it’s a lot better to have sex with someone than it is to do it for yourself,” Sasuke says.

Naruto nods.

Sasuke takes off his jeans and leave them on the floor at the end of the bed. Naruto scoots against the headboard. Sasuke climbs onto the bed and straddles his lap. He puts his hands on Naruto’s bare shoulders and watches him.

“What do you want?” Sasuke whispers, his eyes half-lidded and deep.

Naruto gulps. When he’s got alcohol racing through him, he’s a lot less self-conscious in general. Something about Sasuke though, just makes his stomach jump and his heart race. He feels himself blushing.

“I don’t… I don’t know.”

Sasuke scans his face.

“What are you scared by?” he asks softly after a moment.

“Well, it’s just that… Um, you’re really hot. And I’m just me, and I don’t really get… What you see in me?”

Sasuke frowns a little.

“What do you mean? You’re attractive, loyal, and sometimes intelligent. You know just what people need, and just what they don’t. You don’t give yourself enough credit, usuratonkachi,” Sasuke says.

Naruto looks at him wondrously.

“What the hell did I do to be lucky enough to be your soulmate?” Naruto asks quietly.

Sasuke smirks and kisses him. It starts off sweet and loving, but Naruto opens his mouth and bites Sasuke’s lower lip. Sasuke opens his mouth as well and their tongues dance together. The kiss morphs into something dirty and when they separate for breath for just a moment, they rest their foreheads together.

“I love you,” Naruto breathes.

They kiss again, and this time when they break, Naruto repeats his statement a few times.

The third time, Naruto says, “I love you so goddamn much.”

At that, Sasuke just can’t stand it any more. He grinds his hips into Naruto’s and starts kissing along his neck. After he’s made a few spots that he knows are going to darken into hickies, he kisses the top of Naruto’s chest and whispers.

“I love you too.”

Naruto stares at him for a moment, but then Sasuke palms him through the sheets and he’s biting back a moan and arching his back.

“Sas-u-ke,” Naruto gasps.

“Mm?”

“What… Are you… Gonna do?” Naruto asks.

“Hm. Well, I was thinking about that. What can we do that won’t be super obvious.”

Sasuke keeps pressing on Naruto’s erection and Naruto moans.

“I could let you fuck me, but… then I’d be limping. If I blew you again, my voice would be hoarse. That leaves handjobs. But those are boring,” Sasuke says, intentionally working up Naruto’s imagination.

“You bastard,” Naruto groans.

“So, I guess I’ll settle for a blow job. It’s not like I talk a lot, anyway,” Sasuke replies.

“Hn,” Naruto moans.

Sasuke kisses down the muscles of Naruto’s chest, playing with his nipples.

Slowly, Sasuke makes his way down. When his hands reach the top of the covers, he tugs at the waistband of Naruto’s boxers, looking up at him.

“May I?” Sasuke asks.

Naruto nods quickly.

Sasuke smirks and helps him pull them off. Naruto pushes his hips up to make it easier. Then Sasuke tosses them to the floor and grabs the base. Naruto’s breath is short.

“Are you nervous?” Sasuke asks.

“A little,” Naruto replies.

“Don’t worry. You’re bigger than most of the guys I’ve been with,” Sasuke says.

“Well, but that’s not all that I’m worried about. You’ve got half the student body willing to lie down at your feet if it meant they could sleep with you. I’m just some stupid kid from Konoha who’s only this lucky ‘cuz we’re soulmates.”

Sasuke’s fingers rest on Naruto’s hips and he looks into his eyes.

“As if any of them are half as good as you,” Sasuke replies.

Naruto blinks.

“I told you once already this morning, but if you need me to say it again, I will. I love you, Naruto,” Sasuke adds.

“You… you really do?” he asks.

Sasuke kisses just above Naruto’s belly button and says, “Yes, yes I do.”

Then he licks the slit on the top of Naruto’s cock and Naruto groans. Sasuke starts to stroke the length slowly. A dribble of pre-cum leaks down the side and Sasuke uses it to lubricate it. Naruto watches him with half-lidded eyes.

Sasuke starts to slowly takes Naruto in, teasing him.

When he feels it pushing against the back of his throat, Sasuke pulls back with a hollow pop. He glances up and meets Naruto’s lustful expression with his own as he keeps stroking his cock.

“You know,” Sasuke says. “You can come over more often. We don’t have to do this just once a month.”

“Hn,” Naruto moans. “Okay, I’d… I’d like that.”

“I thought you might,” Sasuke replies.

Then he takes in the head again. He lowers until it brushes the back of his mouth and then he keeps pushing it. It passes his gag reflex and stings a little, but the moan he elicits from Naruto makes up for it. Sasuke realizes that he’s painfully hard in his boxers. He takes his other hand off Naruto’s hip and reaches into his underwear. He starts to pump himself and suddenly remembers that if they don’t use condoms, Sasuke will have to wash the sheets.

He pulls back off Naruto and keeps one hand in his own boxers, just holding on for now, while he reaches into his bedside drawer for two condoms. He hands Naruto one, and takes his other hand out to open the other. He rolls it onto himself with his underwear blocking it from view, and Naruto follows his example.

“Okay, sorry about that,” Sasuke breathes. “Can’t have us dirtying my sheets.”

Naruto nods his agreement.

Sasuke takes off his boxers. Naruto stares. Sober, Sasuke looks bigger than Naruto remembered him Naruto

Sasuke leans down again and swallows Naruto to the base, careful not to graze the sides with his teeth. As he pushes Naruto’s hips down with one hand, he strokes himself.

Naruto grabs Sasuke’s bangs and moans again.

Sasuke starts to bob his head a little faster and his own hand on himself starts to go sporadic. He starts to lose his ability to think clearly and reluctantly lets himself go to prevent Naruto from trying to shove himself in deeper. He’s straining against Sasuke’s one hand already. Sasuke’s throat can handle a lot, but probably not that much.

The last time he let a boy fuck his mouth, Sasuke couldn’t talk for a few days.

Naruto moans Sasuke’s name loudly and cums in Sasuke’s mouth. Sasuke pulls off and takes the condom off Naruto. He ties it and throws it into the garbage. Then he starts to touch himself.

Once Naruto regains his breath and ability to think, he takes in Sasuke before him, touching himself with closed eyes and an expression of ecstasy. Naruto slowly moves forward and pulls Sasuke’s hand away by the wrist, pushing him onto his back on the bed.

Sasuke opens his eyes and Naruto feels his face heat when he sees the scarlet irises. It makes him wonder what Sasuke is thinking.

Naruto kisses and bites Sasuke’s neck, slowly moving down and following the tattoos. He kisses one of Sasuke’s nipples and touches the other.

Sasuke bites his lip hard, almost drawing blood, pushing his fingers through Naruto’s hair. Naruto’s eyes are closed. He eventually keeps moving down Sasuke’s body until he reaches his boyfriend’s erection.

There, Naruto stops and opens his eyes again. He wraps his fingers around the base and starts to dip his head. When it touches the back of his throat and won’t go farther, Naruto makes an annoyed sound in the back of his throat.

“Fuck Naruto!” Sasuke gasps with the vibrations.

His grip in Naruto’s hair tightens and it takes almost all of his willpower to to thrust his hips up.

Naruto pulls back a bit and then bobs back down and Sasuke just hisses. It hasn’t really been that long since someone gave him head, but it’s been longer than four months and he was starting to forget what it felt like.

Besides, it isn’t like Naruto has no idea what he’s doing. He may not be able to deep-throat like Sasuke, but he sure knows how to use his tongue.Naruto keeps going until Sasuke cums too. Sasuke does, moaning Naruto’s name and rocking his hips forward against Naruto’s punishingly strong grip trying to keep him down.

Naruto pulls off him with a hollow pop. He strokes Sasuke through his orgasm and then takes the condom off for him. Naruto ties it and tosses it into the trash, leaving Sasuke frowning and gasping on the sheets, staring at him.

“What the fuck?” Sasuke whispers. “You’re good.”

“So are you,” Naruto replies.

“Well, I have a lot of practice. I thought you said you’d only dated a few people, and you don’t seem the type to hook up,” Sasuke comments.

Naruto laughs.

“Well, there’s a lot you can learn from the internet,” he tells Sasuke.

His eyes widen for a moment in surprise, but then Sasuke starts to chuckle.

“Of course.”

“Have you ever watched porn?” Naruto asks as Sasuke sits up.

“Of course I have. Not regularly, though,” Sasuke replies.

“I guess you wouldn’t necessarily want to if you use apps like Grindr,” Naruto says, not able to stop the tinge of jealousy that leaks into his tone.

He’s not exactly fond of the idea of Sasuke with other guys than him, even in the past.

“Yeah.”

“I’m not saying you’re like… a hoe, or anything,” Naruto adds.

“No, I know what you mean. You’re right. I’ve been with a lot of guys,” Sasuke tells him.

“Have you ever been tested?” Naruto asks.

“A few times. Not for a year or so, though. I should,” Sasuke answers.

Naruto nods.

“Why don’t we both go,” he suggests.

Sasuke shrugs.

“Why not.”

“Yeah. Okay. I guess we’ll just figure out when. I think the Planned Parenthood across town does it for free,” Naruto says.

“Alright,” Sasuke responds. “We should probably get dressed before Itachi comes back.”

Naruto looks at both of them and laughs, agreeing. Sasuke smiles at him slightly and they get off the bed. Sasuke pulls his clothes back on but has to change his underwear. Naruto digs through his backpack and pulls out his change of clothes and Sasuke’s old ones. He dresses and hands the others to Sasuke, who puts them in his closet.

“Where’s the hoodie?” Sasuke asks.

“Ah, sorry, I must’ve left it at home,” Naruto replies.

“That’s alright. It’s too big on me, anyway. You can keep it if you want to,” Sasuke tells him.

“Really? Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” Sasuke replies.

He starts to make the bed and Naruto helps him. They leave the bedroom and go into the bathroom together to brush their teeth and comb their hair.

As Sasuke finishes with his hair and Naruto sits waiting in the living room, Itachi comes back. He hands Naruto his latte, and he thanks Itachi.

“Hey Sasuke! I’ve got your coffee,” Itachi calls.

“Be out in a moment!” Sasuke replies from the bathroom.

He double checks his hair and the makeup he used to cover up the hickies before he heads into the main room and takes his coffee from his brother. Itachi looks between Sasuke and Naruto with narrowed eyes and shakes his head when Sasuke asks him what’s wrong.

“Nii-san,” Sasuke prompts.

“Well, I just thought that you two would’ve gotten ready faster, if nothing happened while I was gone,” Itachi replies.

Naruto avoids eye contact and Sasuke gets into a staring contest with Itachi. The first one to look away is Itachi.

“So what if something did? You weren’t here,” Sasuke says.

“Your voice is hoarse,” Itachi comments.

“And?”

Itachi keeps watching his expression closely.

“Nothing,” he replies after a moment.

“Alright,” Sasuke says.

“Fine.”

“Okay.”

“Um,” Naruto pipes up, getting both of them to stop glaring at each other and turn their stares to Naruto, who all but flinches under their intensity. “N-nevermind,” he says.

The Uchiha brothers sigh and glance back at each other apologetically.

“I guess it doesn’t matter. It’s your place. He’s your boyfriend. I didn’t hear, or god-forbid, see anything,” Itachi admits.

“Yeah,” Sasuke agrees.

“When we finish our drinks, we should head to the museum,” Itachi suggests.

The other two nod their agreement.

~+~+~+~+~

After the three of them take the subway to the museum, they pass security and start to walk through the galleries. Sasuke and Naruto’s hands brush a few times before they take each other’s. 

Itachi glances over at them and smiles softly.

The museum’s collection is expansive and beautiful. Finally, Sasuke deems it time to unveil the big surprise. He leads them towards the back of the museum. A sign over an archway reads, “Student Gallery”.

They walk in and beautiful pieces surround them. Naruto sees one made up of oranges, yellows, reds, and purples. The man in the picture is painted to look like the sun, eyes closed and head tilted up. The angle of the artist is from the side, and the boy has flowing short blonde hair that looks incredibly realistic. Naruto stares at it, gaping. Sasuke stands next to him, smirking. He squeezes Naruto hands.

“Check the note,” Sasuke suggests softly.

Naruto moves and glances at the small sign next to the painting.

‘Title: Taiyou (太陽). Inspiration: Soulmate. Artist’s Note: I created this piece to show someone I love that he shines so brightly that he lights up the world around him. Artist: Sasuke Uchiha.’

Naruto’s eyes widen and he stares at Sasuke, who smiles slightly.

“You…?”

Sasuke nods.

“This is… Incredible! Sasuke, oh my god,” Naruto exclaims.

“What’s this?” Itachi asks them, coming over from the other side of the room.

Naruto gestures at the painting, looking shocked.

“Sasuke!” Naruto exclaims.

Itachi raises a delicate eyebrow as he reads the sign.

“This is beautiful, Sasuke. I’d expect nothing less from my younger brother,” he says.

“Thanks, nii-san,” Sasuke replies.

“Really, Sasuke, you’re incredible,” Naruto mumbles, still staring at the painting.

Sasuke leans in and kisses him on the cheek.

“Thanks, usuratonkachi,” he whispers.

Naruto stares at him, now. Sasuke gives him a full, genuine smile, and Naruto feels his stomach flip. His heart stutters and he blinks a few times. He wants to say something, or even move, but he’s frozen in place.

“I think you broke him,” Itachi laughs.

Sasuke just laughs with him and takes both of Naruto’s hands, facing him. Naruto feels something warm in his chest at the sight of Sasuke, his boyfriend, his soulmate.

Suddenly, Naruto realizes just how hard he’s fallen for this man, and it makes him tear up. Sasuke’s expression suddenly grows serious and concerned, and he brushes a tear off Naruto’s cheek.

“Oi, dobe, what’s wrong?” he asks, cupping Naruto’s cheek with the same one hand.

“I am so in love with you,” Naruto mumbles.

Itachi walks away from them, but neither notices, lost in each other’s eyes. Sasuke’s change to red and he searches Naruto’s expression.

“You never make sense,” Sasuke mutters after a moment.

“Why’s that?” Naruto replies, nuzzling into the touch.

“You teared up just because of a painting? Just because you love me?” Sasuke asks.

Naruto chuckles.

“I guess it is a little ridiculous,” he admits. “But yeah, that’s why.”

“Hm.”

Naruto grins brightly and closes his eyes. Sasuke drops his hand to retake Naruto’s. He rests his head on Naruto’s shoulder so Naruto can’t see his expression and smiles to himself when Naruto lets one of their hands go to wrap his arm around Sasuke’s waist.

“What the hell is wrong with us?” Naruto chuckles.

“I’m not sure about you, but a lot of things for me,” Sasuke responds, his voice muffled.

Naruto smiles softly and looks down at Sasuke fondly. Then he looks around and finds this part of the museum abandoned.

“Hey, Sasuke,” he says. “Itachi’s gone.”

Sasuke looks up and around.

“Hm. Yeah. I wonder where he went.”

“Does it matter?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke looks into his eyes again, his own returned to their usual coal black.

“Probably not,” Sasuke answers.

“Then, let’s finish looking around the museum or find somewhere to eat,” Naruto replies. “I’m starving.”

~+~+~+~+~

After lunch, Sasuke texts Itachi to find out where he went.

S: Nii-san where are you

I: I thought I’d let you two have a few moments.

S: Thanks. But where’d you go?

I: Just walking around town. I found this incredible clothing store.

S: Well, have fun. If you’re fine, Naruto and I were talking about walking around the city ourselves for a bit

I: Sounds good. I’ve got the spare key, so you two stay out as long as you want

S: Alright

With that, Sasuke tucks his phone in his pocket and looks at Naruto.

“Itachi’s just walking around. He has a spare key to the apartment, so we can do whatever we want, the rest of the day,” Sasuke tells him.

“Oh. Sweet,” Naruto replies.

“Want to walk around downtown? It sounds like Itachi’s around there, anyway,” Sasuke says.

Naruto nods.

“Yeah, sounds fine.”

“Let’s go,” Sasuke tells him, taking his hand again.

They walk down the sidewalk together, shoulders brushing and their arms swinging slightly between with their steps. Sasuke insists that they stop in a few clothing stores, ranging from brand names like Hollister and Nordstrom to small businesses that only exist in the city. He buys Naruto a few shirts, a jacket, and a snapback. He gets himself a new leather jacket, two tank tops, and some new replacements for his peircings.

Sasuke notices the green-blue stone that Naruto always wears on a necklace and finally decides to ask about it.

“What’s that?”

“Hm? Oh, one of my teachers gave it to me. She gave it to me because she told me she thinks I can do anything,” Naruto tells him, picking it up and looking down at it fondly.

Sasuke watches him smile fondly at the necklace and wonders how long ago that was.

~+~+~+~+~

When they head back to Sasuke’s, the sun has already started setting. Naruto got a text from Shikamaru, telling him that Temari is staying with him in their dorm tonight.

N: Shika! Come on man where am i gonna sleep

Sh: I’m sure Sasuke can keep you a little while longer

Naruto turns to Sasuke pleadingly as they walk down the sidewalk, each of them carrying a shopping bag.

“What is it?” Sasuke asks with a sigh.

“Well, um, Shikamaru’s got his girlfriend over at our dorm. So, I was hoping…”

“You want to spend another night at my place?” Sasuke ends for him.

“Please?” Naruto asks, eyes begging.

Sasuke narrows his eyes at Naruto’s ice-blue, puppy-dog like ones and sighs again.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” he gives in.

Not like he could’ve refused Naruto anything, even if he wanted to. The damn boy is too attractive, it’s unfair. Sasuke realizes he’s scowling and apologizes for it. Naruto asks him what was on his mind.

“Nothing.”

“Uh-huh. Right,” Naruto replies monotonically. “Not thinking about fucking me senseless, are you?”

“Naruto!” Sasuke hisses, suddenly glancing around them.

Naruto laughs.

“I’m just kidding. Itachi would probably kill both of us. He seems the type who could get away with murder,” Naruto says.

“He probably could, honestly,” Sasuke agrees darkly.

“By the way, Sasuke… Um, sorry if this is kind of an intrusive question, but, when did your parents die?” Naruto asks hesitantly after a moment.

“April.”

“Oh. Okay,” Naruto replies.

“We should hurry home,” Sasuke says. “It’s almost completely dark.”

It is, and Naruto understands why Sasuke wouldn’t want to be on the streets after sundown. After what happened to his parents, especially.

“Naruto,” Sasuke asks after a while.

“Hm?”

“When’s your birthday?”

“October 10th.”

“Damn! I missed it. Why didn’t you tell me?” Sasuke hisses.

“Well, my birthday’s not that special. When’s yours?”

“July 23,” Sasuke replies.

“That’s kind of far away,” Naruto comments.

Sasuke nods.

“That’s good. It means I have time to save up and get you something special!” Naruto tells him.

“Dobe. You don’t have to give me anything,” Sasuke replies.

“Sure I do!” Naruto says, grinning.

He bumps their shoulders together and Sasuke rolls his eyes, smiling softly. They get to his apartment building soon. Sasuke finds himself grateful to get inside and take off his shoes in the apartment itself. They walked a lot, today. Itachi is sitting on the couch, watching some drama show. Sasuke and Naruto set down their bags by the door, near their shoes.

“Hey,” Itachi greets when he hears them come in.

“Hi nii-san,” Sasuke replies, walking to his bathroom.

Naruto sits down on the couch next to Itachi and casually starts reaching towards the remote. Itachi glares at him and he shrinks back.

“So, what did you two do?” Itachi asks him.

“We went shopping,” Naruto replies.

“You really liked that piece Sasuke painted of you. Almost makes me care about seeing color,” Itachi responds.

“Wait, you… You can’t?”

“No, of course not. Why on earth would I leave my soulmate, if I found them?” Itachi asks.

“I don’t know, I guess once you find yours, you just kind of start taking the colors for granted.”

“Is it really all it’s chalked up to be?” Itachi asks.

Naruto nods, smiling softly.

“Yeah. The world’s beautiful,” he replies.

“Hm. Good to know.”

“You two aren’t talking more about all that soulmate garbage again, are you?” Sasuke asks, coming out of the bathroom.

He sits between his brother and Naruto again and steals the remote. He ignores the narrowed glare Itachi gives him and flips through the channels. Realizing that there isn’t anything better on, he reluctantly switches back to Itachi’s channel, much to his brother’s apparent relief.

Sasuke lies down on Naruto’s chest and closes his eyes. Naruto mindlessly plays with his hair. Itachi watches them out of the corner of his eye, silently noticing the way they both seem so comfortable with the other. He wonders how often Naruto comes over and decides to ask.

“Only a handful of times,” Naruto answers quietly.

“You two seem really comfortable around each other,” Itachi comments. “Actually, this is the calmest I’ve seen Sasuke around someone he was dating. You two seem to make a nice couple. No wonder you’re soulmates.”

Naruto chuckles and Sasuke just mumbles something about soulmates.

“Have either of you eaten?” Itachi asks after a moment.

Naruto nods for them. They stopped at a Subway on their way back. Itachi nods and stands up. He walks to the kitchen and starts heating up a plate of leftovers for himself. In the time that he’s gone, Naruto puts his feet up on the couch but keeps his knees bent to leave Itachi room. Sasuke remains curled up in his lap, dozing. Naruto just keeps smiling down at him and softly pulling on his thickly-gelled hair, breaking it up into softer strands. As more and more of it falls apart, Sasuke’s hair starts to flatten and falls across Naruto’s chest.

Itachi comes back and raises an eyebrow at them. Naruto just smiles back peacefully and contentedly. Itachi smiles a bit as well. He finds himself hoping that Naruto and Sasuke decide to spend the rest of their lives together.

When did he become such a sap?

Once Naruto starts drifting off to sleep a few hours later and Itachi realizes that if they both fall asleep, he won’t have a place to sleep tonight except the floor, he shakes Naruto back awake gently and points to Sasuke bedroom.

Naruto nods and carefully stands up, avoiding waking up Sasuke. He kneels down and picks up Sasuke bridal-style. He’s heavy, but not too much for Naruto to handle. He takes him back to the bedroom and lays him down. His hands hover over Sasuke’s shirt collar before he makes up his mind and helps him out of it. He closes the bedroom door and mouths a silent “Goodnight,” to Itachi, who nods in return.

Naruto goes back to the bed and looks at Sasuke. He looks so peaceful in his sleep, and Naruto’s not over it. He reaches out and brushes Sasuke’s bangs away from his forehead gently before he decides to help take Sasuke’s pants off for him, leaving him in his boxers, and pull the sheets over his boyfriend. He undresses to his boxers as well, and climbs in next to him. He lies on his back for a while and stares at the ceiling, one hand on his belly button and the other behind his head. He lets his mind wander.

Kakashi and Iruka are going to like Sasuke, he’s sure of it. It seems like Itachi likes Naruto, too. So it seems unlikely any of them would be against the two of them in a more serious relationship. Like, if they moved in together or got married, for example.

Woah, that’s going to be a ways off, if it happens. Naruto wouldn’t ask to move in, anyway, he’d leave that for Sasuke to offer. Naruto can’t help but imagine what it could be like to live a life with Sasuke, though. They could get married and have their friends and remaining family there. They could buy a house together eventually, pay off their student loans together.

Naruto realizes that he should get a job. That would take away time he could spend with Sasuke, but it could contribute to time they could spend together in the future. He starts to think about it.

He could try to be a barista, but that’s generic. He wouldn’t mind working retail like that though, just because he likes people in general. Naruto imagines himself as one of the cheerful salespeople from the stores they stopped in today and almost laughs aloud. Maybe he wouldn’t fit that job perfectly. What else could he try?

The campus bookstore put up a “Help Wanted” sign recently…

Naruto decides to check it out after class on Monday, in two days. It was Friday, today. Naruto glances at the little digital clock on Sasuke’s bedside table. It reads, 2:27am. He ought to be going to sleep soon. He takes one more glance at Sasuke and starts drifting off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up: Explicit sexual content in this chapter

Sasuke wakes up and looks over at Naruto. He could get used to this. Seeing his peaceful expression in his sleep. He’s not an attractive sleeper, but there’s something endearing in that fact to Sasuke. He sits up and slips out of bed. Sasuke gets dressed and heads into the main rooms quietly. He notices that Itachi is still asleep, and starts to tiptoe towards the front door. He slips on his shoes, grabs his keys, and his wallet, then throws a jacket over his shoulders to keep out the biting, late-November chill. He leaves as quietly as he can.

Sasuke walks to the coffee shop and orders drinks for his guests and himself, as well as a batch of six fresh muffins. Once he pays for them and takes them, Sasuke heads back home. He walks into his apartment and finds Itachi and Naruto pacing frantically.

“Um, did I miss something?” he asks, setting down his keys and taking off his coat and shoes. They turn to him, looking surprised, but then both rush over to him.

“Thank god,” Naruto murmurs. “We were worried you just left.”

“Why the hell would I do that?” Sasuke asks, handing Naruto a latte.

“I don’t know, it’s pretty irrational, but you didn’t leave a note or answer your phone, so…” Naruto replies sheepishly, as he takes the coffee thankfully.

“Jeez,” Sasuke says, smirking as he hands Itachi his coffee. “I guess I can’t leave you two alone for half an hour without nearly causing both your worlds to collapse.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. We were just worried,” Itachi replies coldly, still looking concerned.

Sasuke rolls his eyes and takes a sip of his own coffee. It’s bitter, but not awful.

“Why didn’t you answer when we called?” Naruto asks.

“My phone was turned off,” Sasuke tells him calmly, holding out the bag with the muffins. “Here, take a couple.”

Naruto chooses a blueberry one and a poppyseed one. Itachi goes with a walnut and a cranberry one. Sasuke is left with the chocolate chip muffin and the apple cobbler one.

“Thanks, Sasuke,” Naruto tells him. “For the muffins.”

“Yeah, sure thing dobe,” he replies. “But next time I leave, how about you two wait an hour before you get worried. Why on earth would I even leave the two of you alone with my belongings for longer than that, anyway?”

Naruto pouts and Itachi just rolls his eyes.

~+~+~+~+~

The rest of the day passes without incident. Sasuke and Naruto show Itachi around town a little. In the afternoon, the three of them return to Sasuke’s apartment.

“Hey, Naruto, can’t you go home yet?” Sasuke asks as they start eating dinner.

More Thanksgiving leftovers.

“Well, yeah, I suppose,” Naruto grudgingly admits.

Sasuke watches his expression for a moment.

“I can let you spend the rest of the weekend here, if you’d like,” he offers.

“Really? I don’t want to overstay my welcome,” Naruto replies.

“No, it’s fine. You’ve already been here a few days. It’s not like one more night will make much difference. Tomorrow, you should go back to your dorm though,” Sasuke tells him.

“Right, it’ll be Sunday,” Naruto says.

Sasuke nods.

“It’s also the day I leave,” Itachi cuts in. “My plane takes off at ten, tomorrow morning.”

“Oh. Alright. If we’re not up by then, just come in and wake us up,” Sasuke requests.

“Okay,” Itachi responds.

They watch a few movies after they eat, and once more, the couple lies together. Itachi is starting to get used to it. They leave the living room and head to Sasuke’s bedroom around one in the morning. The two of them take off their pants but leave on their boxers, shirts, and for Naruto his socks, and climb into the bed.

They fall asleep side-by-side quickly.

~+~+~+~+~

Sasuke finds himself in a harsh, dark landscape. The skeletons of dead trees occasionally reach into the sky from the lake or beach. The scene is familiar… too much so. Sasuke tries turning around, but the same scene surrounds him in all directions. He’s standing in a blood-red lake. It’s warm, and he puts his hand in the liquid. It really is blood.

No, no, not this again, he starts muttering. Sasuke turns around again and again, but every time he starts trying to walk towards shore, the sand gets farther and farther away. Suddenly, one more time when he turns, there’s Naruto. Except… It isn’t the Naruto he knows.

This Naruto’s eyes are scarlet, and he has whiskers on his cheeks. A reddish-orange, bubbling light surrounds him, and he looks furious. Sasuke steps back fearfully.

“N-Naruto,” he calls.

“Sasuke,” the Naruto in front of him growls, stepping towards him.

Sasuke tries to run away in his fear, but this Naruto tackles him and turns him onto his back. He gets in his face, snarling. He almost doesn’t look human.

“Sasuke. How dare you leave me?” this Naruto growls, his canines long and his nails claw-like, cutting Sasuke’s skin.

Sasuke feels himself crying.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he tells this Naruto, even as he’s being shaken so violently it feels like his neck would snap at any second.

Suddenly, the weird Naruto and the landscape disappear, and Sasuke cracks his eyes open. His Naruto is shaking him away, concern and fear in his eyes.

“N… Naruto,” Sasuke says sleepily, sitting up.

“Hey, hey Sasuke, I’m here,” Naruto replies softly, wrapping his arms around him.

“It was a dream,” Sasuke realizes aloud.

Naruto nods into his shoulder.

“Naruto,” Sasuke says more firmly, hugging him back and breathing in his scent.

“I’m here, Sasuke,” Naruto replies gently.

“I’m sorry,” Sasuke tells him.

“For what?” Naruto asks.

“For waking you up.”

“No, don’t apologize,” Naruto replies. “I’ll stay up with you until you fall back asleep.”

“Thanks,” Sasuke says.

They separate and look at each other. Naruto smiles pityingly, and Sasuke feels that his cheeks are wet. He reaches up to wipe the tears away, but Naruto beats him to it. He leans into the contact.

After a moment, Sasuke says that he’s going to go get a glass of water and he climbs out of bed. Naruto watches him go and lies back down with his arms over his torso. He stares at the ceiling, wondering what Sasuke’s dream was about and how often he has nightmares. Unintentionally, he drifts back to sleep before Sasuke returns.

Sasuke comes back into the room with a glass of water in his hand and smiles softly when he sees that Naruto fell back asleep. Sasuke sets the water on his nightstand and lies back down on his side, facing Naruto. He hesitates a moment before he puts one arm over Naruto’s chest. His skin is warm, even through the shirt. Sasuke smiles softly again and closes his eyes.

~+~+~+~+~

Itachi cracks open the door to his brother’s room at 8:45 in the morning and stops. Sasuke is lying there with one arm draped over Naruto’s chest, and the other tucked under the pillow. His forehead is resting against Naruto’s side, and Naruto’s arm is under Sasuke’s head, propping it up.

Itachi enters the room and walks over to his brother. He hesitates, but eventually shakes him awake gently. Sasuke frowns before he crack his eyes open and turns to face Itachi. He sits up.

“Morning,” Sasuke greets, voice soft from sleep.

“Hey. Sleep well?” Itachi asks, smiling slightly.

“Hn.”

Sasuke looks over at Naruto and Itachi notices the small smile on his brother’s lips when he watches his soulmate. He reaches forward and pokes Naruto’s forehead hard. Naruto grumbles something and turns away from them, onto his side. Sasuke rolls his eyes and shakes Naruto’s shoulder, quietly calling his name.

Naruto tenses and slowly rolls back over, his eyes half-open. He looks up at Sasuke and Itachi and opens his eyes the rest of the way.

“Oh?” he says.

“Good morning, Naruto,” Itachi tells him.

“Mhm,” Naruto replies, sitting up and stretching with a groan.

“I’ve got to go. My taxi will be here any minute now. I thought I’d say goodbye,” Itachi says.

Sasuke nods and Naruto looks over at him.

“It was really nice to meet you,” Naruto responds.

“You too, Naruto,” Itachi replies with a smile.

“Text when you land,” Sasuke says.

“Yeah, I will. See you,” Itachi tells them both before he leaves the room.

They hear him roll his suitcase out the front door and close it behind him. Naruto lies back down on his side and pats the space next to him, where Sasuke had been sleeping. Sasuke rolls his eyes but lies back down with him, facing him.

Naruto closes his eyes and Sasuke scans his face, comparing it to the Naruto in his dream. That Naruto was fierce and had a fiery, terrifying look in his eyes. The marks on his cheeks looked natural, and jagged. His Naruto has freckles and slightly paler skin. It seemed like they were just as muscular, though.

Sasuke silently wonders what his Naruto would look like if he ever got as furious as that Naruto seemed. After a moment, he decides he certainly doesn’t want that anger directed towards him.

Sasuke finds that he can’t go back to sleep and slips out of bed. He goes into the kitchen and pulls the bag of coffee grounds he bought yesterday off the shelf. He puts his kettle on to boil, and sets out two mugs. He gets his french press out as well and prepares it. Once the water’s ready, Sasuke pours the coffee. He cleans up and picks up one of the mugs and sips it. He set it down and pours in some sugar and creamer. He figures that he’ll let Naruto take care of sweetening his own coffee, when he wakes up.

Sasuke walks back to the doorway of his bedroom and looks at his boyfriend. He’s reaching forward in his sleep, into the space where Sasuke had been lying. Sasuke smirks. He tucks a strand of hair out of his face.

I should get a haircut, he thinks. Naruto doesn’t stir, so Sasuke leaves the room and sits down on the couch. His legs are cold, bare, so he pulls a blanket over himself and turns on the TV. He flips through the channels and eventually settles on the drama he and Naruto were watching with Itachi. It wasn’t as bad as they’d expected it to be.

After a while, Sasuke calls the main character a bitch for something she did at the same time that Naruto comes into the room. Naruto just stares at Sasuke, confused and slightly hurt.

“Sorry, not you. She thinks she can just get away with standing Jeremy up like that!” Sasuke says, gesturing to the screen.

Naruto cracks a relieved grin and nods.

“By the way, there’s coffee for you on the counter. I don’t know how hot it is anymore, and there’s no sweetener in it,” Sasuke adds.

Naruto thanks him and finds the coffee. He takes a sip.

“It’s still warm. Thanks, Sasuke,” Naruto says as he starts pouring in creamer and sugar.

“Hn.”

Naruto comes over and sits next to him, watching the show with him under the blanket.

“You’re like a furnace,” Sasuke comments.

“It’s not my fault you’re an ice cube,” Naruto retorts teasingly.

Sasuke elbows him lightly. Naruto nudges him back with his shoulder, nearly spilling Sasuke’s coffee, which he’s holding. He sets it down and pushes Naruto back. Naruto sets down his mug too, for safety, on the coffee table. Then he slowly starts leaning onto Sasuke. Sasuke starts trying to futilely push back, but Naruto has him trapped quickly. Sasuke is stuck between Naruto’s body and the couch. He groans in frustration because he can’t see the TV well, and because Naruto is heavy on top of him. He suddenly has a very devious idea and smirks accordingly. Naruto notices and watches him suspiciously, still lying on top of him.

Sasuke reaches down, careful not to let Naruto feel him moving much. When he judges that his target is close, he flattens his hand and draws a moan out of Naruto, who sits up quickly and backs away, looking cat-like and blushing brightly.

“That was dirty!” Naruto exclaims.

“Well, desperate times call for desperate measures,” Sasuke responds, finally sitting up after being partially crushed by Naruto’s weight.

“That doesn’t mean you have to--!” Naruto says, cutting himself off.

“Have to what?” Sasuke asks, smirking with one eyebrow raised.

“That doesn’t mean you get to just touch my dick!” Naruto ends.

Sasuke grins.

“I think you’re a lot more embarrassed than you are upset,” he comments.

Naruto growls, but his bright red face is evidence enough. Even the tips of his ears are red.

“You could’ve just told me to get off you,” Naruto replies.

“Well, where’s the fun in that?” Sasuke taunts.

Naruto narrows his eyes at Sasuke, still blushing. Sasuke keeps smirking.

“Sorry,” he says after a moment.

Naruto considers him and then shakes his head.

“Nope. I don’t forgive you. Not until you do something to make up for it,” Naruto replies.

“Such as?” Sasuke questions, raising an eyebrow again, his self-satisfied smirk disappearing.

“Hm. Moan,” Naruto tells him. “Like I did.”

Sasuke stares at him, surprised.

“You heard me,” Naruto says.

“You realize that I don’t really just… moan,” Sasuke responds, frowning.

“Then I’ll make you,” Naruto says.

“How will you do that?” Sasuke asks, suddenly having a few mental images that send some blood south.

“By touching you,” Naruto tells him. “If, well, that’s okay.”

“Hm.” Sasuke thinks about it. Naruto’s forgiveness for a moan and a boner. Not a terrible deal, but an annoying one if Naruto doesn’t end up doing something about the latter. Sasuke sighs.

“Fine,” he replies.

Naruto looks surprised. He hadn’t expected Sasuke to agree to that. Itachi only left this morning, and they had sex just a few days ago. Not that he isn’t excited. Then Naruto realizes that he didn’t really think this deal through. He has to make Sasuke moan, and that mean that Naruto will inevitably end up with an awkward boner for a while. But on the bright side, he gets to make Sasuke moan and give Sasuke an awkward boner too.

“Alright! Then I’ll make you moan for real!” Naruto promises.

Immediately afterwards, he mentally curses himself. How far will he have to go to make Sasuke moan for real? Now that Naruto thinks about it, he’s only really heard Sasuke moan a couple of times, both when he was orgasming. This isn’t going to be easy.

Naruto steels his nerves and wills his blush to fade. Unfortunately, as the blood dissipates from his face, it seems to head somewhere else instead.

Naruto approaches Sasuke, who looks mildly curious but for the most part is expressionless. Naruto realizes that he’s gotten better at reading Sasuke’s face since he’s known him, because the only things that give away the curiosity and apprehension in Sasuke are the way his shoulders are, and his eyes.

Naruto crawls towards Sasuke, the TV drama forgotten and just providing background noise as Naruto hesitates. Then he leans forward and pins Sasuke on his back against the couch. Sasuke looks up at him and Naruto licks his lips nervously. How’s he going to do this?

Naruto closes his eyes and closes the distance between them. He kisses Sasuke on the lips and opens his mouth to slowly bite Sasuke’s lower lip. Sasuke opens his mouth willingly, cupping Naruto’s jaw in one hand.

“Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke murmurs when they break for breath.

“What?” Naruto asks softly.

“You won’t be able to get me to moan,” Sasuke tells him.

“Oh yeah? Well, I said I would, so now I’m not going to back down!” Naruto replies.

Sasuke smirks and then Naruto’s kissing him again, tracing circles on his hip. Sasuke cups Naruto’s growing erection with his free hand and Naruto groans.

“Are you going to get me back for that one, too?” Sasuke asks breathlessly against Naruto’s lips.

Naruto growls and kisses him fiercely. Sasuke’s breath is taken away by the heat behind the kiss. Their noses bump and teeth clash for a moment before they readjust to better deepen the kiss. Sasuke’s tongue meets Naruto’s between their mouths and move together.

Naruto pulls back for breath, but then he leans farther down and lays kisses along Sasuke’s neck. He bites Sasuke’s ear lobe and flicks the cartilage piercing with his tongue.

“Piercing kink?” Sasuke teases.

“Shut up, bastard,” Naruto replies, whispering huskily into his ear.

It makes Sasuke shiver to hear Naruto’s voice like that. He circles his arms behind Naruto’s neck, pulling him in. Naruto’s hands roam down Sasuke’s sides, exploring all of the curves and edges. He pulls up the hem of Sasuke’s shirt and starts to massage Sasuke’s nipples. He moves and drags his lips down Sasuke’s chest. He scrapes his teeth gently over Sasuke’s left nipple.

“Hn,” Sasuke groans, closing his eyes and blushing.

“Was that a moan?” Naruto asks, looking up at him through his lashes.

“You wish, usuratonkachi,” Sasuke retorts.

Naruto smirks and licks the nipple. Then he moves his mouth to the other one and pulls Sasuke’s boxers off. He uses one hand to play with Sasuke’s other nipple and the other he wraps around the base of Sasuke’s erection and squeezes gently.

“Hngh,” Sasuke groans, arching his back slightly.

Naruto hums and starts to run his hand up and down Sasuke’s length with painful slowness. Sasuke gasps his name, but it’s still not a moan. Naruto has to keep going. He pulls back and lets go of Sasuke to help him out of his shirt and take off his own as well. He pulls Sasuke’s boxers off completely and drops them to the floor with their shirts. Then Naruto takes off his own boxers and drop them nearby as well.

He leans back over Sasuke, who grabs his hair and pushes him back enough to meet his gaze comfortable.

“Let’s go back to the bed,” Sasuke suggests, breathless.

Naruto nods and they get up, leaving the blanket, coffee, and their clothes by the couch. They head into the bedroom and Sasuke slams Naruto down onto the bed. He kisses him harshly and Naruto kisses back. Then Sasuke leans over to his nightstand and pulls out a bottle of lube and some more condoms.

Naruto watches him, eyes half-lidded and cock at attention. Sasuke kisses him again, running his hands through Naruto’s hair. Suddenly, naruto has an idea. He experimentally tugs a little on Sasuke’s hair and feels Sasuke’s dick twitch. So that’s it. That’s how he’ll get Sasuke to moan.

Naruto sits up and Sasuke lets him, backing off enough to allow him to. Naruto grabs the lube. He puts some of it on his fingers and lets Sasuke watch him with wide eyes as he presses one finger against his entrance. Naruto slips it in till the first knuckle and notices the discomfort.

Sasuke leans forward and kisses him again. Naruto pushes his finger in till the second knuckle and starts to rock his hips a little. He reaches down to touch himself but Sasuke stops him with a hand on his wrist. He wraps his own slender fingers around Naruto’s cock and strokes it slowly. Naruto gasps and starts to try pressing in his second finger. It fits in eventually, and after a moment he starts moving them around a bit. They strike a spot that sends his whole body reverberating. For a second, Naruto thinks he’s going to cum right here and now, not even having begun the main part of his plan. His fingers retract and press back in slowly. He doesn’t find the spot again, and Sasuke notices. He lets go of Naruto for just long enough to open a condom and roll it onto him, as well as put some lubricant on his own fingers. He pulls Naruto’s hand out with a gross squelch and replaces it with his own two fingers. Naruto moans and Sasuke feels himself twitch.

“Naruto,” he breathes into his boyfriend’s neck.

Naruto rocks his hips back and forth, and Sasuke moves his fingers in time. He curls them slightly and Naruto feels them hit that spot again. He throws his head back and moans again, and this time he draws it out. Sasuke silences him with a kiss.

“You know, I have neighbors,” Sasuke murmurs against his lips.

Naruto just pants and Sasuke presses a third finger against him. Naruto’s body barely lets it in, but once it does, Sasuke is sucked in. Naruto opens his eyes and looks up at Sasuke.

“I want you to fuck me,” he pants.

Sasuke startles. He curls his fingers again and Naruto groans and tosses his head back again. He looks Sasuke dead in the eye with a fire that sends heat coursing through Sasuke.

“Ask nicely,” Sasuke breathes.

“I won’t beg,” Naruto replies, tone firm.

Sasuke narrows his eyes at him for a moment. Naruto’s blushing and shamelessly rocking his hips down on Sasuke’s fingers, but he seems serious. Sasuke pulls his fingers away and rolls a condom on himself. He makes sure to put more lubricant on himself before he lines himself up with Naruto.

“Tell me if it’s too much or if you want to stop,” Sasuke tells him.

Naruto nods.

Sasuke starts to press in and he bites back a moan as Naruto’s burning heat engulfs him.

They just stay still for a moment until Naruto gives him a nod. Sasuke pulls back slowly and then moves back in. He swears and grabs Naruto’s waist. They rock together slowly, and Naruto grabs Sasuke’s hair with enough force to pull him, but not to hurt him. Sasuke moans.

Both of them cum quickly after that.

Sasuke pulls out of Naruto, breathless. His mind is blank and he rests his head against Naruto’s knee. Naruto lies gasping in front of him.

Sasuke looks up at him and meets his gaze. Both of them blush and look away quickly.

“That was…” Sasuke starts.

“Incredible,” Naruto finishes.

“Intense.”

Naruto starts to sit up. He winces at the soreness, and Sasuke notices. He pales and start to apologize, but Naruto just puts a hand on Sasuke’s chest and tells him to shut up.

“I like it,” Naruto tells him fiercely. “It’s a reminder. That this really just happened.”

Sasuke looks at him, breath still coming in short gasps.

“Alright,” he replies.

They take off the condoms and tie them before tossing them in the trash.

They slowly get up and head to the bathroom. They glance at each other when they realize they both intend to shower.

“Um, I’ll go after you,” Naruto offers.

“No, it’s fine, go ahead,” Sasuke replies. “I’ll clean up.”

“Alright,” Naruto says.

He walks into the bathroom and closes the door part-way. Sasuke takes a black bathrobe out of his closet and wraps it around himself. He goes back over to the bed and starts stripping the sheets. Once he’s got them all together, he picks up the bundle and takes it into the main rooms. He shoves them into the washing machine near the kitchen and starts it.

Then Sasuke goes over to the couch. He picks up their cold coffee and then dumps it in the kitchen sink. He sets the mugs in the dishwasher and heads back to the living room. Sasuke picks up the dirty clothes and sets them in his clothing hamper in his closet. He walks back into the living room and folds up the blanket before he puts it away under the coffee table.

Sasuke hears the water shut off as he checks how many condoms he has left. Two. Looks like he ought to make a trip to the grocery store, soon. Especially if Naruto is coming over again any time soon.

Sasuke hears the water shut off and Naruto comes into the room with a towel around his waist. His hair is wet, and he still has that necklace around his neck. Sasuke looks at him, taking in the muscles on his chest and arms appreciatively.

“Are you…? Are you checking me out?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke looks back up and meets his gaze steadily.

“Don’t get too cocky about it. We are dating, after all. Not to mention the fact that we just had sex,” Sasuke comments.

Naruto gulps and his cheeks flush. Sasuke smirks and walks past him, into the bathroom.

Naruto digs through his backpack and finds his spare boxers. He pulls them on, along with one of his new shirts and a pair of jeans.

He hears Sasuke singing again and his heart skips a beat.

“The club isn't the best place to find a lover, so the bar is where I go. Me and my friends at the table doing shots, drinking fast and then we talk slow. And you come over and start up a conversation with just me. And trust me I'll give it a chance. Now, take my hand, stop, put Van the Man on the jukebox. And then we start to dance, and now I'm singing like, ‘Girl, you know I want your love! Your love was handmade for somebody like me. Come on now, follow my lead! I may be crazy, don't mind me.Say, boy, let's not talk too much. Grab on my waist and put that body on me! Come on now, follow my lead. Come, come on now, follow my lead.’”

Naruto just gets dressed and listens. He winces occasionally because of the way it hurts between his legs. Sasuke keeps singing. Naruto listens to him sing until he stops and shuts off the water. Sasuke comes into the bedroom and raises a delicate eyebrow at Naruto.

“Hm? Oh, sorry. I’ll um… I can get going, if you want. You’d probably want me to get out of here anyway. I’ll see you in class tomorrow,” Naruto says, stuffing his things into his backpack (including his new clothes).

He slings it onto his back and turns to Sasuke, who pulls him close with one hand and kisses him before he goes.

“See you, dobe,” Sasuke tells him softly against his lips.

Naruto exhales but opens his eyes again. He nods slightly. Sasuke backs away and Naruto turns towards the door. He walks out and begins the walk home. The chilly autumn air makes his teeth chatter a little, and he decides that maybe he should start wearing a coat, even though he’s almost a living furnace.

Naruto gets back to his dorm and fishes his keys out of his backpack. He unlocks the door and walks inside. Shikamaru groans from his bed and throws a pillow at Naruto when he throws open the curtains over their window.

Naruto laughs and apologizes.

Shikamaru sits up and blinks in the light.

“You were gone for four days. What the hell did you even do with Sasuke and his brother?” Shika asks.

“Well, Itachi and I tricked Sasuke into watching Mean Girls before dinner on Thanksgiving,” Naruto tells him, smiling.

Shikamaru rolls his eyes.

“Then we ate. Sasuke’s a really good cook. The next day, we went to the art museum and afterwards kind of split up to go shopping. Sasuke got both of us some new clothes. We went home and watches a couple more movies, but Itachi wouldn’t let the two of us fall asleep on the couch. Then Sasuke and I showed Itachi around town, yesterday. He left early this morning,” Naruto tells him. “He woke us up to say goodbye.”

Shikamaru nods but then looks at Naruto suspiciously.

“If Itachi woke you up early, why aren’t you coming back until almost noon?”

Naruto chuckles nervously and scratches the back of his head. Shikamaru stares him down.

“Okay, so we went back to bed for a little while but then Sasuke got up and made coffee so I got up to have some and we were on the couch watching this drama Itachi got us into and we kind of got into this competition of sorts and one thing led to another, and long story short it kind of hurts to walk,” Naruto says rapidly.

Shikamaru stares at him. He blinks. Naruto smiles nervously.

“You go over to a guy’s house after you’ve been dating for three months and finally have sex with him. Good job Naruto. Finally lost your virginity,” Shikamaru jokes, deadpan.

“Hey!” Naruto shouts.

“Really though, why did you wait to do it with him?” Shikamaru questions.

“We… didn’t,” Naruto replies.

“What?”

“Remember after the Halloween party when Sasuke and I left kind of early?”

Shikamaru looks at him blankly.

“You must’ve been really hungover. Anyway, that was awhile ago. We were a little drunk and didn’t remember it well, but that was kind of the first time he and I…”

“Yeah, okay. I get it. Don’t go into the details,” Shikamaru retorts.

Naruto smiles slyly.

“Jeez, you sure are troublesome,” Shikamaru sighs.

Naruto chuckles.

“Sorry,” he replies.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mention of a club shooting at a gay bar.

Naruto and Sasuke see each other as they sit down next to each other in class and look away quickly, blushing lightly. Naruto took a pain reliever in the morning so he won’t wince when he moves. He heals fast, so it’s more like insurance than an actual necessity. Nonetheless, he can still feel the soreness and seeing Sasuke reminds him.

“So, how are you?” Naruto asks after an awkward silence.

“I’m fine. You?”

“I’m good.”

“That’s good.”

They make eye contact again and Naruto starts giggling.

“What?” Sasuke asks, failing to keep a straight face himself.

“Nothing! I don’t know why I’m laughing,” Naruto replies. “You’re just… You look kind of concerned.”

“Well, I have good reason to be,” Sasuke returns.

Naruto shakes his head.

“No, you don’t, because I’m fine and I liked it,” he tells Sasuke.

Their professor clears her throat and her students stop talking and turn to face her. She takes attendance, greets them all, and starts the lesson.

~+~+~+~+~

At lunch, Naruto and Sasuke sit down together and Naruto winces just a little as he takes his seat.

“Naruto, are you okay?” Kiba asks, looking concerned.

He spent Thanksgiving with his sister, out in the country. She is a dog breeder and a veterinarian, which is what Kiba intends to do.

“I’m fine,” Naruto replies, grinning.

“You sure? You’ve seemed a little sore all day. Did you go to the gym for the first time in a while yesterday or something?” Kiba asks.

“No, you know I work out most Tuesdays and Thursdays. But I did skip last Thursdays because I was at Sasuke’s…”

Sasuke glares at him out of the corner of his eye and Shikamaru sighs across from them. He turns to Kiba beside him, whose face slowly morphs into one of surprise, then understanding, and then disgust.

“Oh, so that’s it,” he says quietly. “Wait, so you two spent the whole weekend together?”

Naruto chuckles nervously and scratches the back of his neck.

“Yeah,” he replies.

“That’s where you were?” Sakura asks incredulously.

“Well, yeah,” he says.

“I thought you’d just gone to Kakashi and Iruka’s,” she tells him.

“No, but I got to meet Sasuke’s brother.”

“That’s right, so did Shikamaru and I,” Sakura replies.

“Right,” Shikamaru affirms. To Naruto’s questioning stare, he adds, “They came into Ferrigno’s.”

“Oh,” Naruto says.

“He seems kind of cold. Like Sasuke,” Sakura comments.

Naruto blinks.

“I still don’t get why he liked you so much,” Sasuke mutters beside him.

“What was that?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke repeats himself, slightly louder and clearer.

“Oh. Hm. I don’t know either. I guess I’m just a likeable guy, ya know?” Naruto says.

Sasuke rolls his eyes and keeps eating, but doesn’t deny it.

“Shikamaru said you tricked Sasuke into watching Mean Girls for the first time,” Choji says.

“Yeah,” Naruto answers, laughing despite the sharp glare he’s receiving from Sasuke.

“Sasuke, you hadn’t seen Mean Girls?” Ino asks him.

“No, and I wish I hadn’t,” he replies.

“Oh, come on, that’s a lie, you said you liked it!” Naruto says.

“I said it wasn’t bad, there’s a difference,” Sasuke retorts.

“Then you hit me with a pillow and called me an ‘usuratonkachi’, so it was kind of hard to take you seriously,” Naruto tells him.

Sasuke doesn’t respond.

“What does that mean?” Lee asks.

“I have no idea. The bastard won’t tell me,” Naruto replies.

“It means useless, dobe,” Sasuke says.

Naruto looks at him and then grins.

“What?” Sasuke questions suspiciously.

“Nothing! I just like the fact that you’ve got a couple of pet names for me,” Naruto replies.

“They’re not nice,” Sasuke tells him, confused.

“I know, but neither is bastard, and I still call you that in an affectionate way,” Naruto says.

“Hn.”

Some of their friends chuckle at this exchange.

“Say, Sasuke, do you want to come to game night again?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke glances at him.

“Sure.”

“Awesome!” Naruto exclaims. “Thanks!”

“Idiot, for what?!” Sasuke asks.

“For promising to come!” Naruto replies.

Sasuke grumbles something unintelligible but shuts up when Naruto wraps an arm around his waist and pulls him closer.

~+~+~+~+~

S: Naruto I’m here

N: Be rigt ther

Naruto throws open the door of his dorm building and welcomes Sasuke inside. They walk through the building and get to the common room. The two of them sit down with the rest of Naruto’s friends, who are in a rough circle. It looks like they recently started an intense game of Uno.

“Shikamaru, deal us in,” Naruto requests.

Shikamaru picks up part of the main deck and gives each of them seven cards. They join the game.

Naruto is stuck between Shino and Sasuke, both of whom seem perfectly content to use whatever means necessary to win. All their special cards get used wisely, right when Naruto starts to run out.

“You know, you’re both like… Personally determined to crush me and not really anyone else,” Naruto says as he draws another two, thanks to Sasuke.

“What are friends for?” Shino asks.

“Helping you? Improving your life?” Naruto suggests.

Sasuke shrugs.

“Wouldn’t that get boring?” he asks Naruto.

Naruto scowls and puts down a striped card.

Uno cards do have colors, but they are mainly based off the pattern. There are diagonally striped ones, chevron ones, polkadotted ones, and solid ones. That is mainly so people without soulmates can still play. The striped ones are blue, the chevron ones yellow, the polkadots are red, and the solid ones are green.

“Hey, can we put on some music?” Sakura asks.

Kiba nods and gets up after he puts his card down. He walks across the room and plugs his phone into an audio jack connected to a speaker.

“What kinda music?” he calls.

Everyone glances around the circle at each other, but Naruto grins and shouts back, “Panic!”

“Gotcha,” Kiba replies.

He touches the screen a few times before “Build God, Then We’ll Talk” starts. He walks back and sits down, picking his cards back up.

Sasuke bites his lip to hold back a smile, and Naruto’s the only one who notices.

Just as Naruto is about to comment on it, Sasuke puts down another draw two on top of four others and looks at Naruto, smirking.

“Unless you’ve got a draw two, take ten.”

Naruto’s mouth opens in shock. He closes it and tries to speak, but he has no idea what to say.

“You bastard!” he shouts after a moment.

Sasuke laughs with the others in the group and Naruto just keeps gaping at him for a minute.

Then, Naruto grumbles something while he picks his cards.

“What was that?” Sasuke asks innocently, having heard most of what Naruto muttered.

“I said you’d better pay me back for this,” Naruto repeats, louder and looking Sasuke in the eye.

Sasuke smirks.

“Well, you are coming over to my place with me after this, aren’t you?” he asks in a low voice.

Naruto blushes lightly and nods. Sasuke leans in.

“Maybe I’ll even let you fuck me, this time,” Sasuke murmurs in Naruto’s ear.

Naruto’s face goes beet red and he’s frozen for a second until Sasuke retreats. Then Naruto hides his face in his hands and pulls his knees up to hide his boner. His cards he left face-down on the floor.

“Oi, Naruto,” Shikamaru calls. “You alright?”

Naruto doesn’t reply.

Sasuke keeps smirking triumphantly beside him, watching him.

“Jeez, Sasuke, what did you even tell him?” Ino asks.

He stares her straight in the eye and his smirk fades.

“Do you really want to know?” he asks her.

She glances at Naruto and then back at Sasuke, suddenly apprehensive.

“Maybe not,” she replies.

Sasuke nods.

“Smart choice.”

Naruto mumbles something and Sasuke leans close to hear him.

“What was that?” he asks Naruto.

“I said, you’d better at least blow me,” Naruto repeats, still quiet enough that the others can’t hear.

Now it’s Sasuke’s turn to blush thanks to his imagination.

“Usuratonkachi,” he replies, looking away and trying to let his bangs fall in a way that hides his face.

“Can you two stop?” Sakura asks. “Seeing both of you like this is unsettling.”

Some of the others mutter their agreement.

“Besides, it’s your turn Sasuke,” Lee adds.

Sasuke looks up, surprised. He glances at the stack, and then at his cards. He puts one down and nudges Naruto.

“It’s your turn, dobe,” Sasuke tells him.

Naruto lets his hands fall and takes a deep breath. He picks up his cards again and stares at them. He spares a glance at the stack before he puts down his own card.

Then the game continues.

A new song starts playing and Sasuke glances up. He narrows his eyes.

“Is something wrong?” Naruto asks.

“No, I just like this song,” Sasuke tells him.

Naruto listens to the lyrics. It sounds like the song is Mercenary. Naruto smirks.

“Hey, hey Sasuke, you should sing along,” Naruto suggests, elbowing him.

Sasuke shoots him a glare and some of their friend glance over curiously.

“I didn’t know Sasuke could sing,” Kiba comments.

“Oh, he can sing,” Naruto replies. “Believe it!”

“How do you know?” Sakura asks.

Sasuke gives him a death glare and Naruto feels a shiver go down his spine.

“Sasuke, do you sing to him?” Lee inquires.

Sasuke snorts.

“He wishes.”

“You’re a really good singer!” Naruto whines.

“Thank you,” Sasuke replies.

“You still haven’t told us how you know,” Kiba mentions.

“Sasuke sings in the shower,” Naruto tells him.

“He does? Oh my god,” Ino crows.

“You HAVE to record that and send it to me,” Sakura says.

“I’d like a copy too. It could be some good blackmail material,” Shino adds.

Sasuke growls, “You’ll pay for telling them that, Naruto.”

“I’m sure,” Naruto replies, grinning.

Then Sasuke’s ringing phone gets his attention. He clicks his tongue and pulls it out of his pocket, but his expression changes when he sees the screen.

“It’s Itachi. I have to take this,” Sasuke says.

He stands up and sets his cards on the floor. He leaves the room, heading into the hallway and towards the bathrooms on this floor.

“Itachi? What is it?” Sasuke asks, answering.

“Sasuke. Thank god. I saw on the news that someone is going around your neighborhood with a gun. He shot up the Rasengan first and killed about twenty people. Where are you?”

“The dorms, with Naruto. It’s game night,” Sasuke responds.

“Okay, good. Stay there for a while,” Itachi instructs.

“Alright. Thanks,” Sasuke replies.

“Yeah. I’m just glad you’re safe. I’ll let you know if I hear anything new,” Itachi tells him.

“Thanks. Bye.”

“Yeah.”

They hang up and Sasuke walks back, his legs a little wobbly. He sits back down next to Naruto, looking a little shocked.

“Sasuke? Sasuke, what’s wrong?” Naruto asks.

“Someone shot up the Rasengan, and now they’re around my place. Nii-san said he would call me back if something happens, but I probably shouldn’t go home tonight,” Sasuke tells him.

“Oh my god,” Sakura replies.

“Alright. Okay, at least you’re here then. You can sleep in our room,” Naruto offers.

“Yeah,” Shikamaru agrees.

“Thanks,” Sasuke responds.

“I don’t get why people can’t just accept that love is love,” Kiba mutters angrily.

“Me neither,” Lee says.

They all look down at the floor for a moment.

“I suppose we should end the game and all go to bed,” Shikamaru states after a while of silence.

“Yeah, sounds good,” Naruto agrees.

Sasuke takes his hand and Naruto smiles a little without looking over at him. Shikamaru rolls his eyes and starts collecting the cards. He stacks them in order and wraps them together with a rubber band. Everyone gets up and starts dispersing back to their rooms, or leaving if they were invited.

Sasuke follows Naruto and Shikamaru up to their room. Once they cross the threshold, Sasuke raises an eyebrow.

“This is pretty small,” he comments.

“Yeah, sorry,” Naruto replies. “Not all college students have enough money to get an apartment with a bunch of nice furniture.”

Sasuke smirks.

“It’s not even my money,” he replies.

“I know, but still. My parents didn’t leave me much, and most of my foster families before the Hatakes kind of spent it all anyway,” Naruto says.

“That’s awful,” Sasuke comments.

Naruto shrugs.

“Not as bad as what happened to you and your brother.”

“We’ve both had a rough time,” Sasuke compromises.

Shikamaru digs through his closet and finds his pajama pants. He tells the other two that he’s going to get ready for bed and leaves the room.

“It must be awful though… To have had that bond and lost it,” Naruto tells Sasuke after Shikamaru closes the door behind him.

“It was,” Sasuke replies. “But I can’t change the past. All we can do is look forward and live with those who love us now.”

“That’s really deep.”

“Art major,” Sasuke reminds him with a shrug.

“Right.”

They smile at each other softly. Then Naruto starts laughing.

“What?” Sasuke asks.

“We should really change while Shika’s out of here,” Naruto replies.

“Oh, you’re right. I can’t believe you said something smart for once,” Sasuke says, smiling slyly.

“Hey!”

Sasuke laughs.

Naruto sighs and opens the door of his closet. Sasuke peeks in. It’s messy. Naruto finds a couple of t-shirts and sweatpants. He hands Sasuke a pair and keeps the others for himself. They change their pants first and Sasuke’s just pulling the shirt on as Shikamaru walks in.

“Jesus, you’re almost as ripped as Naruto,” he says.

Sasuke smooths out the shirt and glances back at Shikamaru.

“Thanks,” he replies.

“Don’t you go trying to hit on my man now, Shika!” Naruto warns jokingly. “You’ve already got a soulmate too!”

“Relax, Naruto, Temari and I are happy with each other. I just wanted to give a guy a compliment,” Shika says.

Naruto chuckles and Shikamaru is smiling.

“I suppose you two are sharing Naruto’s bed, or do we have to make space on the floor for one of you?” Shikamaru asks after a moment.

“We’ll share my bed. Right, Sasuke?” Naruto says.

“That’s fine,” he replies. “Besides, we both know it’d be you who would sleep on the floor.”

Naruto scowls but doesn’t try to deny it. Sasuke just smirks at him and Shikamaru laughs.

“Naruto, looks like you’re whipped, man,” he comments.

“Am not!”

“You are,” Shika and Sasuke tell him simultaneously.

“Did you even hear yourself last Sunday?” Sasuke asks.

“Don’t bring that into this! That was a competition!” Naruto replies. “Besides, you moaned, so I won!”

“I get the feeling that I don’t want to know what you two are talking about,” Shikamaru tells them.

“You definitely don’t,” Naruto claims.

Shikamaru sighs and sits down in bed. He turns off his lamp and says goodnight to the two of them. They say the same before turning off the overhead lights and getting into bed. They quickly figure out that lying side by side isn’t realistic, so Naruto wraps around Sasuke’s back.

“You’re a fucking furnace, Naruto,” Sasuke comments.

“Sorry,” Naruto laughs.

“Go to sleep!” Shikamaru tells them sleepily.

They stop talking, and Naruto buries his nose in Sasuke’s neck. Sasuke stares ahead, lost in thought.

~+~+~+~+~

Sasuke wakes up first, in the morning. Naruto’s arm is over his side and their legs are tangled together. Sasuke sighs and slowly tries to sit up. Naruto pulls him back firmly, holding him closer. Sasuke sighs and gives in. He clises his eyes again and drifts back to sleep.

Naruto wakes up to find Sasuke still asleep in his arms, about an hour later. He smiles and kisses the back of Sasuke’s neck a few times, moving up along the side. He picks a spot at the base of where Sasuke’s neck muscles meet his shoulder and latches on. Sasuke groans sleepily and tilts his head.

Then his eyes open and he takes Naruto’s hand, leaving it draped over his waist. Naruto lets his neck go and Sasuke looks back at him blearily.

“Morning,” Sasuke greets.

“Hey,” Naruto returns softly.

Sasuke turns over to face his boyfriend.

“What time is it?”

“Probably around ten.”

“Oh. Okay,” Sasuke says.

“How’d you sleep?”

“Fine. I had this strange sensation that I was being burned alive all night, though,” Sasuke teases.

“Sorry, sorry,” Naruto laughs.

“It’s kind of nice how warm you are, though,” Sasuke mutters.

“So, basically, you’re saying I’m hot?” Naruto asks, raising his eyebrows.

Sasuke rolls his eyes.

“At least I’ll always be cooler than you.”

Naruto laughs. Sasuke smiles softly at him. He reaches forward and brushes some of Naruto’s hair away from his face.

“I love you,” Sasuke murmurs.

“I love you too,” Naruto replies, looking ridiculously happy.

“Kiss me,” Sasuke requests quietly.

Naruto leans forward and complies. Sasuke kisses him back. They pull apart and look into each other’s eyes. Naruto bites his lip and Sasuke moves forward again. Their noses bump, but both of them open their mouths.

Right as Naruto starts to consider blowing Sasuke here and now, Shikamaru wakes up and chucks his pillow at them.

“I said he could sleep in our room, not fuck you!” Shika tells Naruto.

“It wasn’t like that, believe it!” Naruto replies, turning away from Sasuke.

“Yeah, right! At least go to the bathrooms if you two are going to be like that,” Shikamaru retorts.

“We were just making out, Shika, I swear!” Naruto says.

“That almost sounds like you had other intentions, even with your roommate in here,” Sasuke comments in a low voice.

“You aren’t helping,” Naruto replies.

Sasuke snorts and Shikamaru chuckles.

“Whatever, let’s just find out if Sasuke can go home yet,” Shikamaru comments after a while, getting out of bed.

Sasuke and Naruto follow his example and check their phones.

I: The police apprehended the shooter and have him in custody. You can go home.

Sasuke checks the timestamp on the text. It's from just past three am.

“Looks like the police got him,” Shikamaru tells them.

Sasuke nods.

“Great!” Naruto says. “I guess we should change and Sasuke should leave, then.”

Sasuke agrees and picks his clothes from yesterday off the floor, in the folded pile he left them as. He sets them on top of Naruto’s bed and starts to change.

“Woah, where did you get your tattoos?” Shikamaru asks, staring at Sasuke’s decorated back in admiration.

“It’s called Lotus,” Sasuke answers. “Downtown.”

Shikamaru nods. Naruto stares at Sasuke’s tattoos a little longer than his roommate does. He tears his eyes away once Sasuke pulls his shirt on. Then Naruto starts changing as well.

Once all three of them are dressed and ready, they leave the dorm and start walking to the cafeteria. Shikamaru buys himself a breakfast burrito. Naruto orders a cinnamon roll and a large iced coffee, and Sasuke gets a breakfast sandwich with a regular dark roast coffee.

Naruto starts to pull out his wallet to pay for both of them but Sasuke stops him.

“No, you let me spend the night, I’m paying,” Sasuke tells him firmly.

“As if! You could’ve been killed if you went home,” Naruto retorts.

“I’m paying, dobe.”

Naruto looks at him, then at his own wallet, at the exasperated cashier, and back at Sasuke.

“Fine,” Naruto concedes, putting away his wallet.

Sasuke smirks and hands the cashier his credit card. She swipes it and hands it back to him. He signs the screen and they walk away from the counter a bit to wait.

“You really could have died, and I don’t know what I would have done,” Naruto says when they’re far enough away to have some privacy.

“But I didn't, so there’s no need to worry, usuratonkachi.”

Naruto frowns.

“You say that like it’s nothing. I could’ve lost you forever. What would you do if I just… disappeared?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke blinks, suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling of fear that washes over him.

“See? It’s not nice to think about, is it?” Naruto asks.

“I see your point,” Sasuke tells him. “But I didn’t go home, and I’m alright.”

“Just promise you won’t leave me,” Naruto pleads.

“I won’t,” Sasuke promises, his eyes burning scarlet.

Naruto smiles softly at him and takes his hand. Naruto’s name is called and they walk back to the counter to pick up their order. They go and sit down at a table. Shikamaru joins them promptly.

“I’m not used to being such a third wheel,” Shika comments.

Naruto laughs and Sasuke smirks. He interlocks his fingers with Naruto’s on top of the table.

“Seriously, I mean at least you’re not constant with the PDA, but still,” Shikamaru says.

“Don’t be jealous just because Temari isn’t here,” Naruto retorts.

Shikamaru rolls his eyes.

“You’re such a bother,” he grumbles.

Naruto grins and squeezes Sasuke’s hand. Sasuke returns the squeeze and smiles softly.

~+~+~+~+~

After the three of them finish their breakfast, Shikamaru and Naruto walk Sasuke back towards the dorms and Sasuke’s motorbike. Shikamaru ditches them and heads inside so they can say goodbye.

“So, um… Get home safe,” Naruto says.

Sasuke smirks.

“Usuratonkachi.”

Sasuke leans in and kisses Naruto on the cheek. Naruto blushes and smiles back.

“I love you,” he tells Sasuke.

“I love you too,” Sasuke replies.

Sasuke puts on his helmet and mounts his bike. He starts the engine, kicks up the stand, and drives away. Naruto goes back inside.

~+~+~+~+~

Sasuke’s neighborhood has police patrolling it when he pulls up outside his apartment building. He parks his bike, locks up his helmet under the seat, and walks towards the door. A policeman approaches him.

“Sir, may I speak with you for a second?” the officer asks.

Sasuke turns, keys in hand.

“Of course,” he replies calmly.

“Are you aware of the shooter at the LGBT nightclub last night?”

“Yes.”

“Were you here when the shooter was in the area?” the officer asks.

“No,” Sasuke tells him.

“If you don’t mind my asking, where were you?”

“The dorms on campus, with my boyfriend and his friends,” Sasuke answers.

“Alright. Thank you, and have a nice day,” the officer says.

“Thanks, you too.”

Sasuke unlocks the door to the building and goes inside.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've made it this far, I'm impressed by you.

Sasuke sits down beside Naruto in class on Monday.

“You didn’t get to come over this weekend,” he says.

“Oh. Yeah,” Naruto replies. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s alright. We were going to head over to my place after game night, but with the shooting…”

“Yeah.”

They sit in silence for a moment. There have already been a couple of memorials put up. One by the club, and one at the university fountain. They have signs and pictures of the dead, with candles and flowers. Death is always a tragedy, especially in people who haven’t met their soulmates. They end up leaving a piece of themselves behind, to live and die without true love.

Really, it’s completely ridiculous to Sasuke.

“Naruto, come over this Saturday,” he says.

“Hm? Okay,” Naruto replies, glancing over. “When?”

“It doesn’t matter. Just text me when you start walking,” Sasuke tells him. “And feel free to invite your friends, but tell me who’s coming.”

“Alright!” Naruto replies, grinning.

~+~+~+~+~

After classes, they head to the library. They sit down by a window and take out their homework. Naruto can only stand it for a few minutes before he gets up, promising to bring them back snacks.

“Isn’t food banned in here?” Sasuke asks.

“Of course it is! What’s your point?” Naruto responds.

Sasuke rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

“Nothing, usuratonkachi. Go get us snacks, then,” he says.

Naruto grins and walks away. Sasuke keeps reading his textbook. Naruto returns in a few minutes, and he casually takes a couple of granola bars, a pack of fruit snacks, two capri suns, and a chocolate bar out of his hoodie pocket. He lays them out on the table and Sasuke looks up at him with raise eyebrows.

“Really?”

“What? It’s just a little food,” Naruto defends.

“I’d say it’s more like a gamer’s midnight meal, but sure,” Sasuke retorts.

Naruto snorts.

“Did you forget my major?” he asks.

Sasuke smirks.

“That’s the point of the joke, idiot.”

Naruto chuckles and takes his laptop out of his backpack. He puts it on the table and plugs it into a charger under it. Then he opens the computer and a page of JavaScript next to a small blank screen.

“What are you working on?” Sasuke asks.

“Just a platformer. I actually wanted to ask you if you would make the main screen art? Really, if you could just help me with graphics in general, I will totally owe you,” Naruto tells him.

“What’s the plot?” Sasuke inquiries.

“Um, so there’s these little creatures I’m calling Elliphies. They’re these little aliens from the planet Elliphy. And so, their homeworld got invaded, so now they’re all trying to find a new planet. But every new place they go, they adventure there for a little while, and then they move on to the next. Each planet is its own level, and each level has multiple stages. You following?” Naruto explains.

Sasuke nods.

“Sounds fun. So, what do you want me to help with exactly?”

“Well, I don’t know if you do digital art, but I’d really like it if you could at least design the Elliphies and the screen for the game’s opening page? Please?”

“Sure, I do digital. But you’re going to have to pay me for it,” Sasuke replies, smiling slyly.

“I’ll do anything,” Naruto states.

“Would you even blow me in the bathroom, at school?” Sasuke asks.

“I’d blow you here and now if people weren’t around,” Naruto responds seriously.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow.

“Alright. I’ll do your graphics. When do you need them by?” Sasuke asks.

“Oh, great, thanks! My project is due by winter break. This is kind of like my final exam,” Naruto answers.

“So then, December 15th? That gives you two days before we officially get off school,” Sasuke replies.

Naruto nods.

“Thanks,” he says.

“Well, you’re paying me for it,” Sasuke retorts.

“You’d better believe I am,” Naruto claims.

Sasuke smirks while Naruto just grins, blushing. Sasuke kicks his shin lightly under the table, effectively knocking Naruto’s grin off.

“Ow! What was that for?” Naruto asks.

“You’re too cute when you grin like that,” Sasuke tells him.

“Oh, yeah?” Naruto replies, kicking him back to get rid of Sasuke’s self-satisfied smirk.

“Yeah.”

“Well, I don’t know when you got all sappy, but whatever,” Naruto retorts.

“Who’s really a sap, though, Mr. I’m-coming-over-to-meet-your-only-living-family, so-here’s-some-flowers?” Sasuke asks.

Naruto snorts and kicks him again.

“Seriously? You’re just forgetting the fact that you put a painting of me in an actual art museum with a caption about how I light up the lives of those around me?”

“Shut up,” Sasuke tells him, kicking him back.

They play footsies a little while longer until Naruto almost knocks over the table trying to get to Sasuke, who tucked his legs under his chair. At that point, they decide to go back to studying.

~+~+~+~+~

On Saturday, Sasuke wakes up kind of late and gets out of bed. He makes himself some coffee at nearly noon, and then walks into his room with it. He checks his phone and his eyes widen when he reads Naruto’s message from five minutes ago.

N: On our way. Sakura Ino Choji Shikamaru Temari and Kiba with me

It takes twenty minutes to walk from Naruto’s dorm to Sasuke’s apartment. Then he has to go downstairs and let them in. Sasuke sets down his coffee mug and goes to his closet. He gets dressed in black jeans and a tank top with a red flannel over it. He finishes off his coffee and sets the empty mug in the sink. He cleans up his apartment a little, until his phone buzzes.

N: Were here plz let us in its cold

Sasuke rolls his eyes and pockets his phone, but he heads downstairs. He sees the group outside and smirks. Sasuke opens the door and they all come in. He greets them before he leads them up to his place.

“Woah,” Sakura and Kiba say when they walk in.

“Sasuke, you sure have money, huh?” Shikamaru comments.

Sasuke shrugs.

“It’s mostly from my family’s inheritance,” he admits.

“Right, sorry for your loss,” Sakura responds kindly.

He doesn’t reply.

“Does anyone want a drink?” he offers instead.

“I’ll take some soda,” Naruto tells him.

“Me too,” Kiba adds.

“Water’s fine for me,” Shikamaru says.

“Me too,” Ino and Sakura reply simultaneously.

“I’m fine,” Temari and Choji pipe up.

Sasuke goes to the kitchen and starts making their drinks.

“Feel free to make yourselves comfortable,” Sasuke calls.

“Hey Sas, can I play some music?” Naruto asks.

“Sure, but don’t call me ‘Sauce’.”

“Is Sass better?” Naruto laughs.

“No,” he replies firmly, coming into the living room with some of everyone’s drinks.

He takes a second trip and brings the rest. He settles for water for himself, too.

Naruto’s music starts playing through Sasuke’s speakers and he glares at him.

“Would you stop trying to get me to sing?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Naruto replies, obviously lying.

“Really? So you just happen to play the song that you first heard me sing?” Sasuke teases, sitting down on the couch, right next to Naruto.

Naruto grins.

“It really was an accident, though. It’s Pandora, see?” he replies, holding up his phone.

“Hn,” Sasuke responds, looking skeptical.

“You two act like a married couple,” Temari comments.

Everyone laughs.

“Look who’s talking,” Ino replies.

Temari is sitting next to Shikamaru, who is next to Naruto on the couch. Temari and Shikamaru are holding hands. Ino is sitting on Choji’s lap on one of Sasuke’s chairs, and Sakura is sitting in the other. Kiba sits on the end of Sasuke’s couch, next to Temari but far enough away that it isn’t awkward.

“Well, what are we going to do?” Kiba questions.

“I don’t know. Play a game, maybe?” Naruto replies.

“Truth or dare,” Ino suggests.

“I think we need alcohol for that, with this group,” Shikamaru comments.

“I’ve got that,” Sasuke tells them.

“What do you have?” Sakura asks.

“Mostly wine. Some beer. Three-quarters a bottle of whiskey,” Sasuke answers.

“How? Aren’t you underage?” Choji questions.

Sasuke nods.

“My brother, mostly. When he visits he buys drinks, and they tend to just stay there until I have people over again,” Sasuke replies.

“Really?” Naruto asks, impressed. “Wait, are you an alcoholic?”

“What? Of course not, dobe,” Sasuke replies. “I barely drink!”

“Hm. I should ask your brother,” Naruto says.

Sasuke rolls his eyes.

“I’ve only ever drank much around April,” Sasuke tells him.

“Oh. I guess that makes sense.”

“Usuratonkachi.”

“Bastard.”

“Okay, let’s get the drinks and play the game, shall we?” Sakura interrupts.

Sasuke nods and gets up. He walks back to the kitchen. He takes the bottles and some glasses back to the living room too. He sets everything on the coffee table.

Naruto, Kiba, and Choji take beers. Temari goes with whiskey, along with Sasuke and Sakura. Shikamaru and Ino pour themselves some red wine. Then Kiba pulls up and app on his phone.

“We should use this version, it’s easier,” he suggests, setting his phone screen-up on the table.

Everyone else agrees.

“Dirty, Extreme, or Regular?” Kiba asks.

“Hm. I don’t think we’re drunk enough for dirty quite yet,” Choji replies.

The others agree with him, so they choose Regular.

The questions and dares are normal. No one is forced to do anything too bad. The worst thing is when Shikamaru has to scream out the window. Oddly enough, that starts a chain where a lot of seemingly young people start screaming back, which is interesting.

Around four in the afternoon and half of the drinks later is when they decide to switch to Dirty.

“Okay, first off, is everyone tested?” Shikamaru asks before they start with the dares.

They all nod.

“Are we clean?”

More nods.

“Okay. And we’re all fine with this, yeah? If you don’t want to do something, the only penalty is a drink,” Shikamaru reminds them.

Another round of nods.

He starts the game and the spinner starts with Choji. He chooses truth.

“Choji a beautiful naked woman is in your house, what do you do?” Kiba reads off the screen.

“Hm. Unless it’s Ino, give her clothes and kick her out,” he answers.

Next is Ino. She also chooses truth.

She has to admit the name of a celebrity she would sleep with.

“Either Emma Watson or Tom Felton,” she replies.

“Harry Potter fan, huh?” Kiba teases.

She smirks.

Shikamaru is up next.

“What the hell, let’s pick dare,” he replies.

“Shikamaru you have to show a bit of one of your buttocks to your significant other, or whoever is closest to you in the room, so they can draw a smiley on it,” Kiba reads off.

He sighs and stands up. Sasuke hands Temari a sharpie from under the coffee table, and they complete the dare.

“That’s pretty easy, maybe the dares aren’t so bad then,” Naruto comments.

Then it’s Sasuke’s turn.

“Fine. Dare,” he replies.

“Sing your favorite song in its entirety to the group,” Kiba reads.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Sasuke asks, leaning forward to see that is indeed what the game wants him to do. “I thought this was supposed to be dirty.”

“Maybe the universe just wants you to sing for us,” Naruto replies.

Sasuke glares at him.

“We’ve got to turn off the other music for this,” Naruto says.

Choji reaches over and turns off the stereo. Everyone watches Sasuke patiently.

“Why are you all staring at me like that, I haven’t even said I’d do it yet!” he tells them.

“Yeah, but you won’t turn it down,” Naruto says.

Sasuke looks at him. He’s right. Sasuke sighs and tries to think about what song is his favorite.

Well, he’ll go with Suigintou no Yoru. After all, it’s in Japanese, and it’s fairly short. He sighs and mentally prepares himself, remembering the lyrics.

“Okay. Then, here I go,” Sasuke says. He inhales before he starts singing. “Yomichi ni ukanda suigintou no hikari. Namida mo nai no ni nazeka nijimitatsu yo. Yomichi ni hisonda boku no kuroi kage. Nasake mo nai no ni nazeka ashibaya ni. Senaka ni mou hitotsu namida no nioi. Tsuite kuru tsuite kuru. Tsuite kuru tsuite kuru. Senaka ni mou hitotsu kokoro no mayoi. Nigete yuku oikakeru. Nigete yuku oikosarete'ku. Hitotsu futatsu no kage kasanari. Gusari to mune hitotsuki. Futatsu no kage tokeru suigintou no yoru ni. Then that all repeats a few times.”

“Wow,” Sakura replies.

“Fuck, man,” Kiba adds.

“I told you guys, didn’t I?” Naruto says, beaming.

“I’m not THAT good,” Sasuke claims, rolling his eyes.

“Hell yes you are,” Naruto tells him. “Don’t you get cocky about it, though! You’re just really good in general… At everything…”

“Thanks, uke,” Sasuke replies.

“HEY! I’m not a uke,” Naruto claims.

“Really, now?” Sasuke asks.

Naruto scowls.

“Bastard. I’m not.”

“Whatever. You said that you’d blow me just because I’ll do the graphics for your semester final project,” Sasuke replies. “It counts as mine for art too, you know.”

“It does?!”

“Idiot.”

“Well how am I supposed to know what your class finals are like?” Naruto asks, pouting.

Sasuke leans in and kisses him on the lips.

“Shut up,” he tells him.

Naruto blushes and scowls, but stays quiet.

They realize that their friends continued the game while they bickered, and they turn their attention back to it now.

Ino is telling a story about a guy she dated a couple of years ago who was apparently her first. Choji doesn’t look happy to hear it, but he seems proud when she claims that the guy was nothing in comparison to him.

When she’s finished with her story, Sasuke gets picked by the spinner again. He sighs and chooses truth.

The question is when he lost his virginity.

He scowls.

“Well?” Sakura prompts.

“I was fourteen.”

“Woah, that’s young, dude,” Choji comments.

“Actually, do we mean blow jobs or…?” Sasuke asks.

“Let’s go with when you first had penetrative sex,” Shikamaru suggests.

“Okay. Then that was just a couple weeks ago. Maybe three,” Sasuke replies.

“Wait, really? That was your first time?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke looks at him.

“You’re one to talk,” he says.

“Shut up,” Naruto tells him, blushing.

“Oh my god. You two. Stop it. We’re not here to learn everything there is to know about your sex life, alright?” Ino states.

“Sorry,” Naruto replies nervously.

“You should be,” Kiba tells him.

~+~+~+~+~

It isn’t until seven that they decide to try the extreme setting. By that point, they’ve all drank enough to make it hard to stand without holding onto something. Shikamaru fell when he got up to use the bathroom.

Sakura gets dared to french kiss someone in the room. She picks Sasuke. When she pulls away, Naruto finally looks up, kind of looking upset. She laughs and pats Sasuke’s head before she stumbles back to her seat.

“He’s definitely gay,” she says.

“Damn straight,” Naruto retorts.

Sasuke smirks and takes Naruto’s hand. The others laugh.

Choji has to take off five articles of clothing for two turns. He takes off his shoes, hat, scarf, jacket, and socks, leaving him in shorts and a t-shirt for a little while. Next, Temari has to talk about herself in a foreign language for a minute. Shikamaru sets a timer on his phone and she starts speaking German.

Kiba admits that he’d rather be a stripper than a pornstar. Ino has to point to the two people most likely to make out by the end of the game. She chooses Naruto and Sasuke. Then Naruto is supposed to prank call his dad and tell him he’s been arrested.

“Which Dad do I call?!” he asks.

“Try Kakashi, he’s less likely to actually try to drive out here and get you out,” Sakura tells him.

Naruto dials his number and waits for him to pick up, keeping the phone on speaker for the others.

“Naruto?” Kakashi asks, surprised.

“Um, hey,” Naruto responds. “How’s it going?”

“Fine. Why are you calling me?” Kakashi asks.

“Well, you see, I kind of got arrested?” Naruto tells him.

Kakashi is silent for a moment.

“What did you do?” he questions, sounding tired now.

“Um. Underage drinking?”

Kakashi sighs.

“Let me speak to the officer,” he requests.

“I… I can’t do that!” Naruto blurts.

“Why not?”

“Um…”

“I see. You’re playing truth or dare or something. Just don’t actually get arrested, alright?” Kakashi tells him.

“How did you…?”

“Goodnight, Naruto. And tell Sasuke that we can’t wait to meet him and see if everything you’ve told us is true,” Kakashi replies before he hangs up.

“You’ve already told him about me?” Sasuke asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, you’re coming over for Christmas, so yeah.”

The game continues for a little while before someone gets anything risky. The next sexual truth that gets asked is for Naruto. It asks if the thought of kissing the person to his right excited him. After a moment, he shakes his head and apologizes to Shikamaru.

“Sorry man,” he says.

“No problem, Naruto. I’m glad you don’t want me. I think Sasuke is too.”

Sasuke scowls but Naruto and Shikamaru chuckle. The music plays softly in the background. Ino gets picked by the game next and is dared to try to tie a cherry stem with her tongue. Sasuke goes and gets a cherry from his kitchen. He hands it to her and she starts. They continue the game while they wait.

After a little while, Ino succeeds and spits the tied stem out onto her hand, smiling triumphantly.

“Wow,” Choji comments.

She rewards him with a short kiss.

“So, who’s next?” Naruto asks Kiba, who is staring at the screen of his phone.

“Well, it says that we’re all supposed to come up with a dare for you and one other person of your choosing,” he answers.

“Okay. Should I pick before or after you guys give me the dare?” Naruto asks.

“After’s fine,” Kiba replies.

Naruto nods and the others begin their discussion. They finally make their decision.

“Okay. You’ve got to pick one person to spend fifteen minutes in Sasuke’s room with,” Sakura tells him.

Naruto frowns but he nods. He makes eye contact with Sasuke to his left.

“Sasuke?” he asks.

“Sure,” Sasuke responds.

Naruto beams and starts to stand up, but he loses his balance and falls in Sasuke’s lap.

“Usuratonkachi, get off!” Sasuke says, pushing him.

“Sorry, sorry,” Naruto replies, easing off.

Once he manages to stand up, he grins at Sasuke before he heads towards the room. Sasuke gets up more easily and follows him.

“Don’t forget to set a timer!” Choji calls after them.

“Yeah, yeah,” Naruto tells him.

Then Sasuke closes the bedroom door behind them, glancing back at the group before he does. Once it’s closed, he locks it and faces Naruto.

“So,” he says.

“Yeah?”

“Do you realize when I told you that you could bring your friends, you could have come alone and then fifteen drunk minutes wouldn’t be all we’ve got?” Sasuke asks.

“Sorry, I don’t follow,” Naruto tells him.

Sasuke sighs.

“Nevermind. Let’s get to it. Sit down on the end of my bed,” he instructs.

Naruto does as he’s told. He leans back on his arms, and Sasuke steps towards him. He kneels down between Naruto’s knees with his hand on either of Naruto’s thighs at glances up at him with a predatory stare.

“Naruto, are you sure you want this?” Sasuke asks in a husky voice.

Naruto gulps and feels his mouth go dry. The alcohol in his blood isn’t the only thing heating him up now. He looks back at Sasuke. 

“I want you,” Naruto responds.

Sasuke smirks and helps Naruto pull his pants down to his ankles. The timer on Naruto’s phone is slowly running out. They’re at just over 13 minutes, now. Sasuke breathes onto Naruto’s erection through his loose boxers.

“What’s with you and these heart-patterned kinds of underwear?” Sasuke asks softly.

“Hey, I like them!” Naruto exclaims.

“I know, that’s my problem. They’re dorky,” Sasuke replies, still eye level with Naruto’s bulge.

“Whatever. At least my boxers aren’t boring like yours,” Naruto retorts.

Sasuke looks up at him, his hands still on Naruto’s thighs.

“We both know you don’t have a problem with my underwear,” he says.

“I do. You’re wearing them,” Naruto tells him.

Sasuke raises one eyebrow.

“Well then, I suppose I should get on with this, then,” he replies.

Naruto gulps. Sasuke helps Naruto pull his boxers down to his ankles again, releasing his erection. Sasuke glance from Naruto’s lustful expression to it before he leans forward and licks the tip. Naruto shivers and Sasuke carefully, gently takes Naruto in. He dips his head lower and lower until he’s at the base, and then he starts moving back up. He starts off slow, adjusting to it. Once he’s content with the feeling, he pulls off completely with a hollow sounding pop. He pulls his hair back with a ponytail that was on his wrist and leans forward again, keeping Naruto’s hips pinned down.

Naruto moans as he starts to get close, and tells Sasuke, but he doesn’t pull back. He lets Naruto cum in his mouth, without a condom, and then pulls off. He wipes the edges of his mouth and looks up at Naruto, smirking. Naruto sits back, panting. The timer ticks away beside him.

Seven minutes.

Sasuke stands up and starts to take off his pants. Naruto pulls his back up and then stops Sasuke with his hands on his wrists. He smiles up at his soulmate and moves him onto the bed in a position where Sasuke is leaning against the headboard with Naruto straddling his lap in front of him, his jeans still unbuttoned. He pulls off his shirt and then starts to help Sasuke out of his.

Naruto kisses Sasuke fiercely once his shirt is tossed to the end of the bed with Naruto’s. Their hands start to roam and Sasuke has one on the back of Naruto’s neck, the other on his ass. Naruto pulls the ponytail out of Sasuke’s hair, drawing a moan from him which Naruto hungrily swallows.

Sasuke breaks away and stares into Naruto’s blue eyes with his own red ones, breathing in short gasps. 

“Naruto, we’re running out of time,” he reminds him, voice hoarse.

Naruto startles and nods, scooting back enough to pull Sasuke’s pants and black boxers down to mid-thigh.

Sasuke groans and tosses his neck back when Naruto grips him, stroking him slowly. Naruto kisses his exposed neck, sucking on a spot for a bit.

Sasuke cums quickly, spilling into Naruto’s hand and a little on their bare chests. He leans his forehead on Naruto’s shoulder, gasping, and only after a moment realizes that the timer is going off.

He gently pushes Naruto back and reaches towards his bedside table. He picks up a box of tissues and takes a few out to wipe himself off. Naruto follows his example. They crumple them up and toss them in the garbage. Naruto turns off his timer, but not quickly enough to stop Sakura from coming and banging on the door, telling them that the time’s up.

Sasuke smiles slyly and picks up his shirt. He walks over to the door and unlocks it, still holding his shirt, while Naruto pulls his on in the background. Sasuke smirks at Sakura as he pushes past her into the main room, pulling his shirt over his head. The others stare at him in surprise, and then at both he and Naruto as Naruto stumbles after him, flattening the front of his shirt.

“Well, I’ll admit that I didn’t actually expect the two of you to do it in there, but I don’t really know why I’m surprised,” Ino comments.

Sasuke shrugs, trying to avoid talking to reveal more than is already obvious.

“So, now then, back to the game, right?” Kiba says.

“Actually, it’s getting kind of late. I’d like to go home,” Sakura replies.

“Us too,” Ino adds, speaking for herself and Choji.

“Yeah, I’ll walk back with you,” Temari says.

“No point in me staying then. Sorry, Naruto,” Shikamaru tells them.

“No, it’s fine,” Naruto replies.

“I guess you’re spending the night, so I’ll walk back with everyone else,” Kiba says.

Naruto nods.

“Thanks, Sasuke,” Shikamaru tells him.

“Don’t mention it,” he replies.

Shikamaru’s expression shifts a little at his hoarse voice and he glances at Naruto, who keeps grinning. He looks back at Sasuke.

“Then, see ya.”

And after everyone else says their thanks and goodbyes, they leave.lk home with everyone else,” Kiba adds.

Naruto nods, smiling.

“See ya,” Shikamaru calls, walking out with a wave. The others say their goodbyes as well, but Sasuke doesn’t talk. Once all of them are on their way home, Naruto saunters over to Sasuke pulls him close with his hands on Sasuke’s hips. He presses their noses together.

“So,” Naruto says.

“Hm?”

“We’re alone,” Naruto states. “And no one’s in the other room.”

“”Mhm. And?” Sasuke replies, voice lower than usual in a way that sends a shiver down Naruto’s spine in a good way.

“And, I was wondering if we could… Maybe go for round two?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, but doesn’t push him away.

“You are way too horny, you know,” Sasuke accuses.

“Well, it’s not like I have a lot of time to jerk off when I live in the dorms, you know,” Naruto replies.

“Fair enough. But I’m almost out of condoms,” Sasuke tells him.

“That’s fine. I can make a run to the corner store if you want,” Naruto says.

“No,” Sasuke responds quickly. “I mean, it’s dark. And I’ve still got two left. Besides, both of us are clean. The only reason we use them at this point is to avoid all of the clean-up.”

“Yeah,” Naruto agrees, voice getting softer.

Then his lips meet Sasuke’s and they both close their eyes and tilt their heads. Sasuke’s hands rest on Naruto’s lower back. Naruto’s stay on Sasuke’s waist. Sasuke starts to kiss under Naruto’s chin and bites his ear.

“If you want to, you can fuck me this time,” Sasuke says huskily.

Naruto’s eyes widen. He blinks and glances towards Sasuke.

“R-really? Now?” Naruto asks.

“Yeah. Unless you’re scared, usuratonkachi,” Sasuke replies, muttering into Naruto’s neck.

“You wish,” Naruto retorts, moving them towards the couch.

Just as they tumble over the side of it, someone barges through the door. Sasuke sits up with his legs hanging off the arm of the couch and Naruto stands up straight. Both of them glance at Sakura, who freezes in the hallway.

“Um, I just came back to grab my purse,” she says.

“Then go ahead and grab it, and get out,” Sasuke replies, voice hoarse still.

She blushes and hurries in. She grabs her purse from one of the arm chairs with a furtive glance at Sasuke and Naruto.

“Um, you two are doing what it looks like, right?” she asks before she leaves.

“Yes. Now go. Unless you’ve got some spare condoms to lend us,” Sasuke tells her, glaring.

She scowls and walks out, closing the front door behind her.

“Jeez, Sasuke,” Naruto says, chuckling. “Be a little saltier, would you?”

Sasuke just grabs the front of Naruto’s shirt and pulls him back down on top of him on the couch.


	9. Chapter 9

Naruto wakes up in Sasuke’s bed and sits up groggily. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and looks over. Sasuke is curled up on his side next to him, his hair falling in his face. Naruto reaches over and softly brushes it out of the way. Sasuke looks so peaceful when he’s asleep. Naruto smiles softly.

Sasuke starts to stir and Naruto pulls his hand back, letting Sasuke’s hair fall. Sasuke rolls onto his back and looks up at Naruto, squinting in the morning light from the window.

“Good morning,” Naruto greets.

“Hn.”

Sasuke turns back onto his side and closes his eyes again. Naruto lies back down beside him and curls around him, draping one arm over his side. Sasuke leans back into him and Naruto breathes in his scent. It’s musky, but kind of electric, and it sends Naruto’s heart beating faster.

“Usuratonkachi,” Sasuke grumbles sleepily.

“Bastard,” Naruto replies, smiling into Sasuke’s shoulder.

“Hn,” Sasuke say. “What time is it?”

Naruto sits up enough to look at the clock on one of the bedside tables.

“10:43,” he reads.

Sasuke groans.

“What?” Naruto asks, laughing.

“We should get up,” Sasuke responds, not moving.

“Yeah, we could, but why do that when we can stay here and cuddle?” Naruto asks, nuzzling back into Sasuke from behind.

Sasuke chuckles and turns over to look at him. Naruto smiles innocently and his eyes are bright. Sasuke reaches out and touches his cheek.

“I love you,” he murmurs.

“I love you too,” Naruto replies just as softly.

They kiss.

“Your breath stinks,” Sasuke tells him, chuckling.

“Oh yeah? Well, yours isn’t so great either, princess,” Naruto retorts.

“Princess?” Sasuke inquires.

“Yeah!”

“I’m not sure if I should be offended or flattered,” Sasuke tells him.

“Shut up,” Naruto says, scowling.

Sasuke laughs, and Naruto looks up at him, captivated.

“You always look at me like that when I laugh,” Sasuke comments.

Naruto blushes and glances away.

“Sorry, yeah, I just…”

“You just what?” Sasuke prompts.

“I just really like your laugh,” Naruto admits, blush deepening.

Sasuke stays silent for a minute. Then, he puts a hand on top of Naruto’s head and ruffles his hair slightly.

“You’re cute,” he says.

Naruto look up at him again, surprised.

“I’m… cute?” he asks.

Sasuke smiles softly, brushing his fingers through Naruto’s hair.

“Yes. Very,” he replies.

“Oh,” Naruto says. His voice is smaller than he wants.

Sasuke closes his eyes and rests his chin on top of Naruto’s head. Naruto’s face is buried in Sasuke’s neck.

“Did you enjoy it?” Sasuke asks.

“What? Last night?” Naruto questions.

“Yes, dobe. You remember, don’t you?”

“Of course I do, none of us drank that much,” Naruto claims.

“Sure, but we drank enough to go to bed together,” Sasuke replies.

“Yeah,” Naruto sighs onto Sasuke’s collar bones.

“So, did you like it?” Sasuke asks.

“Of course I did! You’re amazing,” Naruto responds.

He kisses Sasuke’s clavicle.

“Thank you,” Sasuke says, smirking.

“Well, it’s not like I’ve ever been in a guy like that before, so I don’t have much to compare you to. But the girl I slept with in high school wasn’t as tight, I’ll say that much,” Naruto admits.

Sasuke glares at him but Naruto can’t see it.

“Your social antennae is almost as bad as Sai’s,” Sasuke comments.

“Who’s Sai?” Naruto asks.

“This guy in my art class. I’m fairly certain he can’t feel anything, but his art is pretty good. He never names his paintings though,” Sasuke claims.

“You should invite him to sit at lunch with us, sometime,” Naruto says.

Sasuke sighs exaggeratedly.

“Oh, come on, he can’t be that bad,” Naruto retorts.

“You have no idea,” Sasuke tells him.

They lie together for a little while longer. Eventually, Sasuke starts to move away. He gets out of bed and winces slightly. He heads to the bathroom and Naruto, after a moment of hesitation, decides to follow him. He grabs his toothbrush from his backpack before he does, though.

By the time Naruto steps into the small, tiled room, Sasuke already has the water running and is brushing his teeth. He glances at Naruto, but doesn’t stop him from joining Sasuke by the sink. Naruto uses some of Sasuke’s toothpaste. Then Sasuke leans over the sink to spit and rinse his mouth, and Naruto follows suit. They step into the shower one after another, and all Sasuke does is look at Naruto questioningly. Naruto decides that since Sasuke doesn’t try to kick him out, it’s alright. Sasuke showers with colder water than Naruto is used to, but it isn’t too bad.

“So, did you want something?” Sasuke asks, shampooing his hair.

Naruto shakes his head as water runs down his face. He’s grateful that Sasuke has one of the modern showers with a ceiling shower head, or else it would force them to alternate who got to use the water.

Naruto flashes a grin at Sasuke, who rolls his eyes before he rinses his long hair. Naruto takes Sasuke’s conditioner off the shelf and puts some in his hand before he starts to massage it into Sasuke’s scalp. Sasuke moans and closes his eyes.

Naruto’s grin widens.

“Your hair pulling kink is pretty useful,” Naruto says.

“Care to elaborate?” Sasuke requests.

“Hm… Well, it’s easy to make you moan now that I know about it. And it means that even something like this, or just pushing your bangs behind your ear, can make you feel good. That means that you’ll only let me touch your hair, and that makes me feel special,” Naruto replies.

Once he’s coated all of Sasuke’s dark blue hair in conditioner, he starts to wash his own hair. Since his is short, it takes him less time.

“Hey, Naruto?” Sasuke asks.

“Yeah?”

“What are those marks on your cheeks from?” Sasuke inquires.

Sasuke frowns, tracing the ones on his left cheek.

“I don’t know. They’ve always been there,” he replies.

“Hm. Strange.”

Sasuke traces the ones on Naruto’s other cheek, and Naruto lets his own hand fall. He looks into Sasuke’s coal black eyes and smiles softly, the water running over both of them. Naruto tilts his head into Sasuke’s touch lightly. Sasuke glances up from the marks on Naruto’s cheek to his warm, ice blue eyes, and then to his lips.

Naruto notices but doesn’t say anything, and Sasuke doesn’t make a move.

“What did I do to deserve you?” Sasuke mutters.

“That’s my line,” Naruto replies, chuckling.

“No, but seriously, what God did I somehow appease? Are you just an angel? Why do you always remind me of the sun?” Sasuke asks.

“Hey, Sasuke,” Naruto says softly.

Sasuke meets his gaze again, hand still softly touching Naruto’s cheek.

“We should get matching tattoos,” Naruto suggests, tone gentle. “Like I could have the sun, and you could have the moon.”

“That’s so cheesy,” Sasuke replies, dropping his hand.

“Yeah, well…”

“Let’s do it.”

“What?” Naruto asks, looking at him incredulously.

“Let’s do it,” Sasuke repeats. “It could be fun.”

“You… You mean it?”

“Of course I do, dobe. I’ll pay, since you’re always broke,” Sasuke responds.

“No, I’ll pay for half of it,” Naruto claims firmly.

“Alright. Where should we do it?” Sasuke asks.

He shuts off the water and opens the shower curtain. He steps out onto the mat and wraps a towel around his waist. Naruto follows.

“How about our palms?” he suggests.

Sasuke nods.

“Okay. I’ll schedule the session, because I already know a couple of the artists. Let me know what Saturdays won’t work for you,” Sasuke says.

“Right,” Naruto responds with a nod.

The rest of their morning passes normally, and without much talking. What they do say are things like, “Do you want creamer?” and “Help me clean this up.” Naruto decides to leave around two in the afternoon, after a brunch of pancakes made by Sasuke.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, dobe,” Sasuke says, kissing Naruto on the lips.

Naruto kisses him back one more time before he says goodbye and leaves.

~+~+~+~+~

When Naruto walks into his dorm, Shikamaru isn’t there. He checks his phone and doesn’t see any messages from his friends.

He shrugs and drops his backpack by his bed. Then he pulls his homework out of his school backpack and starts to work on it.

Shikamaru comes back right when Naruto is submitting his essay for History at 4:52.

“Oh, you’re back,” Naruto says.

“Yeah, I took Temari to this orchestra performance downtown,” Shikamaru replies.

“Was it fun?”

“Yeah,” he answers with a shrug. “How was it with Sasuke? Sakura told us about how she interrupted you two.”

Naruto laughs nervously and scratches the back of his head.

“Kiba was wondering if he’s still as cold and quiet or if he cuddles afterwards, because either way, he said, it’s good blackmail material,” Shikamaru tells him.

Naruto scowls.

“Like I’d tell you guys!”

Shikamaru snorts and smirks.

“Finish your homework, I can sneak some food back from the mess hall,” he responds.

“Thanks,” Naruto says.

Shikamaru nods and heads back out. Naruto sighs and gets back to staring at his textbook. He has a test in two days, and he can’t afford to lose his scholarship. Currently, his grades are unexpectedly good, and he’s stayed away from weed which wasn’t easy for him in high school. He gives up on studying after a few minutes and glances at his palm.

‘Sun and moon, huh?’ he thinks.

Naruto picks up his phone and checks it. He frowns and decides to call his parents.

Iruka answers on the third ring.

“Hello Naruto,” he says happily.

“Hey Iruka! How are you?” Naruto asks excitedly.

“We’re good. Kakashi told me about that little stunt of yours last night. How are things with Sasuke?” Iruka replies.

Naruto laughs anxiously.

“Ehe, well, that was a dare. And Sasuke’s good. I stayed the night at his place,” Naruto answers.

“Really?” Iruka asks.

“I hope you two use protection!” Kakashi calls from the background.

“Kakashi!” Naruto exclaims angrily.

“Oi, Naruto, this phone’s not on speaker,” Iruka calls.

“Sorry, sorry.”

Naruto hears a small scuffle on the other end and then Kakashi’s muffled voice comes through.

“Naruto,” he greets.

“Hey Kakashi,” Naruto grumbles.

“I’ll put the phone on speaker so you can talk to both of us,” Kakashi suggests.

“Okay,” Naruto replies.

“We’re good,” Iruka’s voice tells him.

“Sweet. So, how’s work?” Naruto asks.

Kakashi sighs dramatically.

“It’s fine,” Iruka answers. “Kakashi has tests that he should be grading, but he’s been putting them off.”

“I’ll just stay up and do them,” Kakashi responds.

“You’ll hate yourself in the morning if you stay up all night,” Iruka says.

“Oh, so that’s the cause!” Kakashi exclaims, laughing.

Iruka sighs and Naruto can imagine him rubbing a hand down his face. He has a scar across his nose that he refuses to talk about. All that Naruto knows is that both Iruka and Kakashi used to be in the military, and that was how they met.

“Anyway, how are your classes going?” Iruka asks Naruto.

“They’re good. Sasuke’s going to help me with the graphics for my final in game design. Professor Yamato talked to professor Orochimaru and they’re going to count it as Sasuke’s final project for art too,” Naruto says.

“How is Yamato?” Kakashi inquires.

“He’s doing well. Say, how did you know him?” Naruto asks.

“He worked with me a while ago,” Kakashi replies.

“Okay. Well, Shikamaru should be back soon with dinner, so I should hang up,” Naruto tells them.

“Alright, we’ll talk to you later. Bye, Naruto!” Iruka says.

“Bye!” Naruto responds before he hangs up.

Shikamaru walks in a second later, holding a take out box.

“Ooh, what’d you get me?” Naruto asks.

“A burrito,” Shikamaru answers, opening the box.

The heavenly smell wafts out of it and reaches Naruto. Shikamaru sets down the box with two burritos in it on top of Naruto’s cluttered desk, on his homework. Shikamaru pulls up a chair from his desk to sit next to Naruto.

“Thank you,” Naruto says.

“Yeah, whatever,” Shikamaru responds.

They pick up their food and start eating. It is good. The place on campus is a chain, but not a very common one. It’s good, though.

~+~+~+~+~

Naruto goes over to Sasuke’s almost every weekend. Sometimes, he just stays for a few hours and then heads home, but most of the time he spends the night. He’s started leaving a toothbrush and a fair amount of his clothes at Sasuke’s apartment. Of course, Sasuke joins Naruto for game night most Fridays as well, and sometimes stays the night.

Kiba was shocked when he got up late at night on Friday and headed to the bathroom to catch Naruto and Sasuke making out with wandering hands in the hallway. After that, the two of them decided to be a lot more careful about where they did things.

Their collaborative final project comes along well. They finish it a few weeks before the due date. Naruto gets a chance to meet Sai and decides that he is definitely odd. He called Sakura ugly and she almost beat him up for it. Kiba stopped her.

Pretty soon, finals week has all the students on campus looking more dead than usual with either caked on makeup under their eyes or just dark circles to rival those of Gaara, who turned out to be Temari’s youngest brother. Kankuro was her other brother, apparently. Sasuke and Naruto were shocked when they found out.

A few days before finals week officially begins, a shelter brings a group of puppies one day and kittens the next into the library for the students. Sasuke helps Naruto study for history and science, and Naruto helps Sasuke study his flash cards.

Right before his first final, Naruto adopts a kind of “What the fuck,” attitude about his tests and miraculously relaxes a lot. Sasuke can’t figure out how he does it, and it bothers him.

At the end of the week, both of them get their tests and grades on their project back. Orochimaru gave Sasuke a 98% for the art, and Naruto got a 97% from Yamato. Still, Sasuke aces all of his tests and Naruto gets Bs and As, which are excellent compared to his high school finals. Then again, he actually studied this year, mostly thanks to Sasuke. Even though Naruto constantly complained about it and would take breaks as often as possible.

Finally, it’s time for everyone to take a week off for winter break. Sasuke and Naruto both pack up their suitcases and take a taxi to the train station. They board their train to Konoha at six in the morning on a Saturday, and sit next to each other.

“So, what are Kakashi and Iruka like?” Sasuke asks.

“Hm? I haven’t talked about them?” Naruto questions.

“Not much,” Sasuke replies.

“Oh. Well, they used to be in the military, but I don’t know what branch. I think Kakashi was in some sort of secret service. Iruka’s got this cool scar across his nose, and Kakashi has one over his left eye. He wears a mask all the time, and I think Iruka might be the only one who knows what Kakashi really looks like. I kind of think maybe he’s all scarred or something,” Naruto says.

Sasuke sits back and listens to Naruto ramble on about his adoptive parents. He hears the words that his boyfriend is saying, but for the most part all that Sasuke is listening to is the sound of Naruto’s voice. He watches the sunlight and the way it hits Naruto’s face through the train window. It’s only when Naruto starts pouting that he realizes he was zoning out.

“Sorry, what were you saying?” Sasuke asks.

“Nothing. Just saying that I can’t wait to walk around town with you,” Naruto responds.

“We’re from the same town, idiot,” Sasuke reminds him.

“I know that! But we didn’t know each other before, did we?” Naruto asks.

“Hn. Why does that make a difference?” Sasuke retorts, knowing full well himself.

“Because! It just does! You know how. It just feels different to show someone something you already knew about when you care about them,” Naruto says.

Sasuke tries not to think about the soft look in Naruto’s blue eyes and wonders why his heart feels so full when he looks in them. They’re like the sky. So full of warmth and hope while still seeming somehow infinite and calm.

“Sasuke!” Naruto whines. “You’re not listening.”

“Sorry,” Sasuke replies, actually feeling it.

“What were you even thinking about?” Naruto asks softly.

“Hn… Not much, dobe,” Sasuke retorts.

“Really, bastard?” Naruto questions, somehow managing to make the insult sound like a term of endearment. Maybe it is one at this point.

Sasuke smirks and twists around a little more. He leans towards Naruto and kisses him softly. When he pulls back, he leaves a hand cupping Naruto’s chin. Naruto reaches up and puts his hand on top of Sasuke’s. They got their tattoos about a month ago. Sasuke has a small black moon on his left palm, and Naruto has a white sun on his right.

“We should be there soon,” Sasuke mentions in a quiet voice.

Naruto nods slightly.

They let their hands drop, but intertwine their fingers between them. It’s about 11:27 and they are supposed to arrive in Konoha station at 11:40. Iruka said that he would be picking them up. Naruto checks his phone and sees that Iruka has sent him a message.

I: I’ll be at the station in ten minutes.

It was delivered two minutes ago, according to the timestamp. Naruto pockets his phone and smiles at Sasuke.

“What?” Sasuke asks suspiciously.

“Well, I was just thinking that I think you’re really gorgeous. And I know that my parents are going to love you,” Naruto says. “Almost as much as I do.”

Sasuke feels his face start to warm up and looks away, using his bangs to hide his face. Naruto just brushes them away and Sasuke subconsciously looks back up at him.

Naruto chuckles.

“You’re such a sap, usuratonkachi,” Sasuke tells him, glaring, but the effect is halved by the blush across his face.

That would be if Sasuke’s glare even worked on Naruto anymore, which it doesn’t. So instead, Naruto just laughs and affectionately squeezes Sasuke’s hand. Sasuke squeezes back.

The train pulls to a stop a few minutes later in Konoha, and they stand up. They pull their bags off the overhead rack and step off the train. Naruto spots Iruka somewhere on the platform and starts making his way towards him, pulling Sasuke along behind him. Their breath shows in front of them in the cold December air, but both of them are bundled up in at least three layers and a scarf.

Iruka waves and Sasuke notices him. He has a kind face, and brown hair tied back in a ponytail. His scar is pretty obvious, but somehow it suits him. Naruto comes to an abrupt halt about two feet in front of the man, dragging Sasuke behind him. Sasuke stumbles to stop next to his boyfriend, both of them still holding hands with their tattooed hands.

Sasuke extends his right hand to Iruka for a handshake. Iruka smiles as he takes it.

“Hello,” he says. “You’re Sasuke, then?”

Sasuke nods, expression controlled.

Iruka smiles and nods. Then he turns to Naruto, who lets Sasuke’s hand go so that he can hug Iruka.

“Naruto, how have you been?” Iruka asks.

“I’m good! How about you?”

“I’m doing well,” Iruka replies.

They break apart and Sasuke takes Naruto’s hand again. Iruka notices, but says nothing.

“Say, is Kakashi going to be at home when we get back?” Naruto asks.

Iruka shakes his head.

“He’s at work,” he says.

“Really? What is he doing on a Saturday?” Naruto questions.

“Well, he’s grading tests mostly, but he’s also planning classes for after break,” Iruka answers. “Which, by the way, I also have to do while you two are here, but I’m procrastinating.”

Naruto laughs.

Iruka suggests that they go to the car and drive home. Naruto insists that Sasuke sits up front with Iruka, and he sits in the middle backseat. He leans forward to talk to the other two. Iruka turns on the radio and Naruto requests the local alternative rock station.

Sasuke likes the music.

After a short drive, they pull up in front of a nice, relatively small, modern-style home. It has large front windows and an angled roof. Sasuke remembers the old house that his family lived in. It’s probably still here. It was given to Itachi after their parents’ deaths, but he wasn’t allowed to do anything with it until he was 18 and out of the foster system. That was when he and Sasuke moved back in for a little while, and Itachi started taking online law classes. Once Sasuke was old enough to go to college, Itachi sent him and took a job offered to him in New York. He works there now, as a successful lawyer.

“You have a nice place,” Sasuke comments as they get out of the car and start pulling their suitcases out of the trunk.

“Thanks,” Iruka replies.

“Just wait until we’re inside!” Naruto exclaims.

Sasuke smiles softly at his boyfriend’s excitement and follows him into the house. Sasuke instinctively starts to take off his shoes in the entryway, and Iruka thanks him for doing so. Then Naruto continues to lead him through the house, until they get to door at the end of the hallway off the living room. Naruto grins at Sasuke before he opens it.

The walls are a near-blinding shade of orange, but it’s sparsely furnished. There are a few pictures on the shelves, but for the most part, everything is coated in a light layer of dust and Naruto’s twin-sized bed lies made and untouched. He drags his suitcase towards it and sets it atop the bed. Sasuke follows him and does the same with his own. Naruto starts to unpack his clothes back into his closet and dresser, and Sasuke just copies him with his own things.

They put their empty suitcases in the corner of the room and Naruto grabs Sasuke’s hand again, pulling him out of the room.

“Come on, let me show you the house!” Naruto says.

Sasuke allows himself to be led through the whole house and finds that it’s bigger on the inside that it looked from the front. There’s a basement with a large flatscreen TV and a bookshelf full of movies and video games. Most of them seem to be for XBox, but there are some Wii games too.

There are two bathrooms, and both have a shower. A laundry room adjacent to the kitchen. A full kitchen with two confectioner’s ovens and a nice rangetop. The other appliances are nice as well, Sasuke notices. Not to mention the fact that their cupboards are fully stocked and they seem to have a lot of spices.

The living room has a fireplace, and is already mostly decorated. The stocking are hung up along the mantelpiece, and once again Sasuke identifies which one belongs to Naruto by the orange. What does surprise him is the fact that they have one for him. It’s black and blue, plaid. There’s a silvery trim on it, and his name is painted in delicate cursive letters that glitter. He smirks.

“I haven’t had a stocking in years,” he claims.

Naruto looks personally offended.

“What kind of foster families did you even have?!” he asks.

Sasuke shrugs.

“My last two didn’t celebrate Christmas, and then Itachi and I moved back into our parents’ house for a few years. We didn’t really want to celebrate it, there. It just wouldn’t have been the same,” Sasuke replies.

“Oh, yeah. I can understand that,” Naruto says.

Iruka comes into the room from the hallway and smiles at them.

“We don’t have the tree up yet because Kakashi and I thought it would be nice for all four of us to go out and get one,” Iruka tells them.

“Alright!” Naruto replies excitedly, his eyes lighting up like a kid’s.

The Uchihas used to celebrate Christmas, and it was nice. Sasuke’s mom always used to cook a special meal. It varied from year to year. But then their parents died and Itachi and he were put in the foster system. That was when everything changed for both of them. Sasuke’s world was flipped upside down again on the day that he met Naruto. Which makes him think that maybe celebrating Christmas again won’t be that bad.


	10. Chapter 10

Iruka made lunch for the three of them. They ate in the living room and talked about their lives. Kakashi comes home around four in the afternoon, and Naruto all but tackles him in a hug. Sasuke politely stands and shakes his hand.

He really does wear a mask. Sasuke can’t help but wonder why. He glances at Naruto, who keeps grinning foolishly.

~+~+~+~+~

The next day, the four of them get into Iruka’s car and drive to the nearest tree farm. It’s just outside town. They walk through the fields for a while. Sasuke finds a lot that would be fine, but Naruto insists that they must find the perfect one. He refuses to settle for anything else. Once they do find the “perfect” one though, Sasuke finds that he is slightly impressed.

The tree is full and just the right size. Its branches come out evenly on all sides. Kakashi holds the trunk steady as Naruto saws the base. Iruka and Kakashi volunteer to carry it back and the other two hold hands on the walk. Kakashi notices the tattoos for the first time, as he walks behind them, and calls them out on them.

“Are those tattoos?” he asks.

Naruto and Sasuke glance back at him.

“Yeah!” Naruto replies. “They were my idea.”

“What are they? I can’t see them perfectly from here,” Kakashi says.

“Mine’s the sun and Sasuke’s is the moon,” Naruto tells him, grinning again.

Kakashi’s eyes close in a way that even through his mask makes it clear that he’s smiling.

“Well, when we get back to the car and load up the tree, you two can return the gear and pay,” Iruka calls.

Naruto nods. He and Sasuke look ahead of them again and keep walking.

~+~+~+~+~

When they get back to the house, Iruka gets the tree stand out of the garage and Kakashi helps him set up the tree. Sasuke sweeps away the fallen bristles and Naruto gets out the decorations. Iruka starts playing Christmas music and as he helps Naruto string lights around the tree, Sasuke realizes that he’s smiling.

Naruto picks Sasuke up piggy-back style and he puts the star on top of the tree once they’ve decorated everything else. Once that’s done, Naruto sets Sasuke back down and four of them sit down on the couches. They look at the tree, holding hot chocolate that Kakashi made for them. All of them are smiling softly.

“This is nice,” Naruto says.

“Yeah,” Sasuke admits.

The others look over at him.

Suddenly, he remembers something. He has his gift for Naruto, but that shouldn’t be the only thing he gives him. Not to mention the fact that he has nothing for his hosts. He sets down his mug and asks to borrow Iruka’s keys.

“Why?” Iruka asks.

“I haven’t bought gifts,” Sasuke says.

Naruto laughs.

“Neither have I!” he claims. “I’ll go with you!”

“No, you idiot, because then I can’t get you anything,” Sasuke tells him.

“Oh, right,” Naruto replies, looking down but not upset.

“Here,” Iruka says, handing Naruto his keys.

Kakashi hands Sasuke his, even though his car is a sports car.

“You two can both go shopping separately, at the same time,” Kakashi suggests.

Naruto frowns for a moment but the nods.

“Alright. Well, I’m off then. See ya,” he replies, getting up and leaving.

“Thanks,” Sasuke tells them, following Naruto.

“No problem,” Kakashi calls after him. “But don’t put a scratch on my car!”

Sasuke smirks and promises that he won’t. He is, after all, a decent driver.

By the time Naruto gets Iruka’s engine to start, Sasuke is already pulling out of the driveway in a purring Corvette. How Kakashi managed to pay for this beauty mystifies him, but he guesses it has to do with the secret service job.

Sasuke drives away and sees Naruto follow him slowly for a bit in the rearview mirror. Then the speed of the cars separates them enough.

Once Sasuke gets into the main shopping district of town, he starts looking for a place to park. He finds one and pulls into it. A few girls at a table in a cafe window watch him and whisper to each other as he steps onto the sidewalk.

‘Annoying,’ Sasuke thinks.

He locks the car and starts walking down the street. He gets a few stares, but nothing unusual. In the city, people with dyed hair and tattoos are a little more common though, so people look at him less there. That’s part of why he like the city so much. There’s so much more diversity.

Sasuke finds a shop that he knows and walks in. A bell jingles as the door opens, and an elderly woman glances at him from the register.

Sasuke looks around the shop and finds a mug he thinks Iruka will like. It has a picture of bigfoot on it. For Kakashi, Sasuke finds the first three books in a series that he thinks Kakashi will like. He buys the items and leaves. Then Sasuke heads to a clothing store across the street. There, he finds a letterman-type jacket for Naruto that is half orange and half black, with black trim. He pays for it and walks back to Kakashi’s car, all of his gifts in a pair of shopping bags. Sasuke drives back and sees that Naruto hasn’t returned.

Sasuke walks inside and leaves Kakashi’s keys on the kitchen counter. He head to Naruto’s room and sets the bags on the dresser, next to a photo of a young Naruto. He’s facing the camera and giving a thumbs-up. Sasuke smiles at it. Even back then, Naruto had a bright smile.

Sasuke realizes that he should wrap the gifts before Naruto comes back and sets out to find wrapping paper. He finds Iruka in the basement and asks him. He directs him to a shelf of it in the garage, and Sasuke picks three different types to use.

The blue one with little chibi foxes, he wraps naruto’s jacket in. The blue one with the silver sparkles he uses to wrap Kakashi’s books. With the woodland print, Sasuke wraps Iruka’s mug carefully. He takes the gifts and puts them under the tree after labelling each with a sharpie from the kitchen counter.

Naruto comes through the front door as Sasuke finishes tucking the last gift in place. He stands up and looks at his boyfriend, who is carrying four bags. Sasuke offers to help, but Naruto says that he’s got it. He takes them back to his room and returns to the living room empty handed a moment later.

“Don’t go in my room for a bit,” Naruto says. “I’m gonna wrap presents.”

“Okay.”

Naruto head into the garage and carries some wrapping paper to his room. Sasuke goes back into the garage and puts away the rolls that he used. He goes down to the basement and watches this detective show with Iruka. Kakashi joins them a few moments later.

The basement is well-furnished and as comfortable as the main floor, just with less natural light. It still has light come through small window near the ceiling, but for the most part it is lit with bulbs.

After about an hour, Naruto comes downstairs and joins them, sitting next to Sasuke on the far end of the sofa. Sasuke adjusts to lean on Naruto’s chest. Iruka and Kakashi see them and smile to themselves.

~+~+~+~+~

Naruto and Sasuke enjoy their time back home. They run into Sakura once, as they were walking around town. The three of them talked for a little while and then parted ways.

“Hey Naruto, I want to show you something,” Sasuke says one day, on the day before Christmas Eve.

“Okay,” Naruto replies.

They borrow Iruka’s car again and Sasuke drives. He takes them towards the old Uchiha residence, a place on the edge of town with woods around it. Naruto starts to look around curiously.

“Relax, usuratonkachi. I’m showing you my old house,” Sasuke tells him.

“Oh!” Naruto responds.

They eventually get to the end of the road that is starting to become overgrown, and it opens out into a clearing around a large, three-story victorian-era house. They get out of the car and Sasuke heads towards the front door, looking up at the old house. Naruto comes up behind him and takes his hand. Sasuke smiles at him gratefully and unlocks the front door. They walk inside.

Everything is as Itachi and Sasuke left it, except for a small layer of dust. Sasuke shows Naruto the place, not once letting go of his hand. Naruto seems impressed by the size of the place, and the elegance of the decor. Then Sasuke takes him up to the attic.

At one end is a twin-size bed, under a window with blackout curtains. Along one wall is a closet, and numerous paintings that are set leaning on the other slanted walls. Most of them are natural scenes, landscapes, but some have people. One of them looks like Itachi, painted with contrasting shades of grey.

Most of these paintings are grey or in muted colors, Naruto notices. They must have been painted before Sasuke met him. Of course they were, this is Sasuke’s childhood bedroom.

Naruto wanders around the room, looking at everything from the paintings to the dust. Sasuke watches him from the top of the stairs, smiling softly and leaning against a wall with his arms crossed.

Naruto looks out the window.

“Hey, there’s a frozen lake outside,” he notices.

“Yeah. I wanted to show that to you next,” Sasuke replies.

Naruto turns away from the window, smiling. He walks back over to Sasuke and puts his hands on his boyfriend’s waist. Naruto rests his forehead on Sasuke and looks into his dark eyes.

“Thanks for letting me see all this,” Naruto says softly.

Sasuke feels his heart flutter and blushes, but he doesn’t break their eye contact yet. When he does after another moment, it’s to close his eyes and press his lips against Naruto’s gently. Naruto kisses back and pushes Sasuke against the wall.

“I love you,” Naruto murmurs against his lips. “I love you so, so much.”

Sasuke chuckles in his deep voice and Naruto feels his heart skip a beat.

“Come on, usuratonkachi. Let’s go see the lake,” Sasuke replies, pulling away.

Naruto follows him down the stairs and out through the back door in the kitchen. The lake is a few yards away from the porch and it is surrounded by plants. There’s a dock the heads out onto it, but Sasuke takes Naruto’s hand and pulls him around to the side of the house and through the trees. Naruto follows obediently.

Sasuke takes him up a steep incline and when they finally get out of the trees again, they’re standing at the top of a sturdy rock cliff with a view overlooking not just the Uchiha family home, but all of Konoha.

Naruto’s jaw drops and he stares. The sun is starting to approach the horizon, tinting the sky a pale orange.

Sasuke clears his throat and takes something out of his pocket. Naruto watches him with widening eyes as he stands in front of Naruto and holds up a gold band up to him.

“I know that we haven’t been together for very long,” Sasuke starts. “We haven’t even moved in together, but you practically live with me anyway. What I want to say is… My life changed monumentally when I met you. And soulmates or not, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, what do you say, Naruto?”

Naruto feels himself tearing up, but he grins madly. He nods enthusiastically.

“Yes!” he exclaims, his voice breaking.

Sasuke smiles widely, genuinely, and he laughs. He stands up and hugs Naruto.

“Really?” he asks.

“Absolutely! Bastard, you asked before I got a chance!” Naruto replies.

He pulls a similar golden ring out of his jeans pocket and Sasuke stares at it. Then he laughs and embraces Naruto again.

They calm down enough to put their rings on each other’s right ring finger and looks back up at each other, both of them smiling happily.

Sasuke takes Naruto’s hands and pulls him into a kiss. When they pull apart, Naruto is grinning even wider, and it almost looks painful.

“Let’s go back,” Sasuke suggests.

Naruto agrees and they start walking back down the hill. They go through the house, locking the back and front doors as they do. When they get back in the car, Naruto keeps watching Sasuke as they drive. Sasuke reaches over and turns on the radio.

Riptide by Vance Joy start playing.

They drive home, listening to music and sometimes singing along. Naruto keeps holding his ring up to stare at it, and Sasuke keeps glancing at his on the steering wheel. When they pull up in front of Naruto’s home and get out of the car, the sun is nearly gone. The sky is a mirage of colors from blue and green to pink and orange, all blended together.

Sasuke and Naruto intertwine their fingers and walk back up to the house. They walk in, and Sasuke doesn’t even try to hide his smile. Iruka looks over at them from the kitchen.

“Oh, you’re back,” he says.

“Yep!” Naruto replies.

“Where did you go?” Kakashi questions, coming out from the bathroom.

“Sasuke showed me his old house, and then there was this cliff behind it! You could see all of Konoha!” Naruto tells them, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Really? That sounds beautiful,” Kakashi replies.

“He proposed,” Naruto adds.

“Did he?” Iruka responds, faking surprise.

“Yeah!” Naruto says, elated. “Guess he beat me to the punch, but I still gave him the ring I bought.”

“Wait, you were going to propose to him, too?” Kakashi asks.

“Well, I wanted to do it tomorrow, but I think it worked out,” Naruto tells them. “Wait, did Sasuke tell you guys?”

“Yes,” Kakashi admits.

Iruka nods.

“Oh,” Naruto says.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, but he’s smirking and still holding Naruto’s hand.

“Wait, should I have asked Itachi?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke looks over at him, mildly surprised.

“Oh shit, what if he doesn’t want you to marry me,” Naruto says.

“Relax, Naruto. You’re the first guy I’ve dated who he actually liked. He won’t say no,” Sasuke replies.

“Besides, aren’t you two soulmates?” Iruka inquires.

“Yes,” Sasuke answers, much to Naruto’s surprise.

“I thought you said you didn’t believe in them,” Naruto says. “I think you told me that soulmates are ‘a bunch of government-controlled garbage’.”

Sasuke shrugs, smirking.

“Maybe they’re not,” he tells him.

Naruto stares at him.

“Have I finally managed to get you out of your dumb conspiracy theory?” he asks.

“What? It’s not a conspiracy theory!” Sasuke retorts indignantly.

“Sure it’s not, Sas.”

“Don’t call me Sauce!”

Kakashi and Iruka laugh, and Naruto joins in.

“I should probably call Itachi,” Sasuke says after a while.

“Okay,” Naruto responds.

Sasuke takes out his phone and walks a few steps away. He clicks Itachi’s contact and puts his phone to his ear. He hears the dial up tone and it starts to ring.

Itachi answers on the third.

“Sasuke?” he asks. “Are you okay?”

“What? Yeah. Just wanted to say Merry Christmas,” Sasuke replies.

“You never call me for things like that,” Itachi tells him suspiciously.

“Well, I also wanted to tell you that Naruto and I are getting married,” Sasuke says.

He hears a door slam and something fall over.

“Aniki? Are you alright? What happened?” he asks.

“Nothing, I just had to close my office door so that I could start celebrating, and I knocked over a book,” Itachi responds.

“Really?” Sasuke asks, laughter in his voice.

“Shut up,” Itachi tells him.

Sasuke laughs.

“Why are you that excited?” he questions.

“Naruto’s a great kid! Not to mention the fact that he’s your soulmate, right?”

“Yeah,” Sasuke says.

Something creaks and then Sasuke hears a crash and Itachi cursing.

“What did you do now?!”

“I leaned back and fell.”

The door to Itachi's office opens and Sasuke faintly hears his brother assure whoever just came in that he’s fine.

“Nii-san, I know you saw it coming,” Sasuke says.

“That doesn’t mean I can’t be excited!” Itachi defends. “I’m happy for you two! I thought it would take you forever though, I’ll admit.”

“I see. So that’s why you knocked a book over and then fell over,” Sasuke replies, noting that Naruto snickers behind him.

“So, where did you propose?” Itachi asks.

“I took him to our old house and showed him the cliff over the lake,” Sasuke tells him.

Itachi is silent for a moment.

“You did?”

“Yeah. Sometimes, you just need to have the right person with you to help you see things that used to hurt in a new way,” Sasuke claims.

“When did you start studying philosophy?” Itachi teases.

“Shut up, aniki.”

Itachi laughs.

“Well, tell Naruto that I’m glad. And just know that if I’m not invited to your wedding, then I’m flying out and personally suing both of you,” Itachi threatens.

“Even if you had grounds to do that, you’re more likely to murder us than sue us,” Sasuke replies.

“Well, fair enough,” Itachi says.

Sasuke chuckles.

“I’ll talk to you again soon,” he tells his brother.

“You too. Tell your fiance hi for me! And you two better let me help pay for the wedding!” Itachi responds.

“Yeah, yeah. Mata ne,” Sasuke says.

“Bye.”

They both hang up and Sasuke turns back to Naruto and the Hatakes.

“He’s happy for us,” Sasuke tells them. “And he also insists that he pays for some part of the wedding and he claimed he’d kill Naruto and I if he doesn’t get invited.”

“Well, then you’d better invite him,” Kakashi replies.

~+~+~+~+~

Sasuke gets woken up early on Christmas morning by his excited fiance. He glares at Naruto, but that doesn’t deter him from pulling Sasuke out of bed in his pajama bottoms (he slept shirtless) and towards the living room, from which is emanating Christmas songs.

Sasuke scowls until Naruto hands him a cup of fresh brewed coffee and even then he still looks grumpy.

“Neither Kakashi or Iruka are even out here yet,” Sasuke says.

“So? It’s Christmas morning, you have to get up early!” Naruto claims.

Sasuke narrows his eyes at his coffee. He’s not really mad, but he never likes getting woken up early.

Naruto doesn’t seem to care at the moment, though. In fact, he cuddles up next to Sasuke.

About ten minutes later, Iruka enters the room looking happy, and Kakashi follows him with circles under his eyes and a dead expression. Looks like Sasuke isn’t the only one in the house who doesn’t like mornings.

Iruka makes coffee for himself and Kakashi, and then they sit down with Naruto and Sasuke in the living room.

“Good morning!” Iruka greets.

“Morning!” Naruto says, smiling.

“Hn,” Sasuke and Kakashi reply at the same time, both of them clinging to their coffee like it’s their life source.

Iruka laughs at them.

“I guess they’re more similar than we thought,” Naruto says, chuckling.

“Yeah,” Iruka agrees.

Sasuke and Kakashi look at them, glaring half-heartedly. It doesn’t work on either of the other two.

“Well, should we do presents?” Iruka suggests.

“No, I think we should wait until they’re actually awake,” Naruto says.

“Hn,” Sasuke agrees, looking back into his mug.

“Well, then I’ll make breakfast. Naruto, do you want to help?” Iruka asks.

Naruto nods and they get up and walk into the kitchen. Sasuke and Kakashi make eye contact.

“Did Naruto drag you out of bed?” Kakashi asks.

Sasuke nods.

“Iruka?” he questions.

Kakashi nods back.

Sasuke sighs.

“If he’d let us wake up on our own, this wouldn’t be a problem,” Sasuke comments.

“They’re too impatient for that,” Kakashi replies.

“I suppose so,” Sasuke says.

Kakashi shrugs.

“Well, there’s not much we can do,” he states.

Sasuke sighs again in defeat.

A smell of sausage wafts out of the kitchen and Sasuke lifts his head.

“I didn’t know that Naruto could cook,” he says.

“He can,” Kakashi replies. “He just needs a recipe and someone to remind him when to flip or stir things.”

“I see. That’s good to know.”

“Mhm.”

It takes another fifteen minutes, but Naruto and Iruka make breakfast for the four of them. There are scrambled eggs, chocolate chip, and blueberry pancakes, and sausage. Sasuke and Kakashi get up from the living room and sit at the dining table. Kakashi compliments Sasuke’s tattoo, and Sasuke thanks him.

The other two sit down with them and they all start eating.

“Wow,” Sasuke says, when he tastes the food. He looks up at Naruto and Iruka. “This is surprisingly good.”

“Heh,” Naruto says, beaming.

“You know, you could cook for me once in awhile,” Sasuke says. “I wouldn’t mind.”

“Well, you usually wake up before me, and then you start making food so I don’t want to get in your way,” Naruto replies.

“Fair enough,” Sasuke admits.

“Not to mention, you’re a better chef than I am. Even though you’re so thin,” Naruto says.

“Thanks,” Sasuke responds.

Kakashi is smiling through his mask at the two of them.

“So, how often does it happen that you two wake up together?” he asks them.

Sasuke and Naruto share a glance. Sasuke smirks and looks back at Kakashi.

“About every other weekend,” he claims.

“Really? Good. I’d hope so, if you’re getting married so quickly,” Kakashi responds.

Sasuke keeps smirking and Naruto looks embarrassed.

“Naruto, if you want to move out of the dorms to live with Sasuke, we won’t mind. I’m sure Shikamaru won’t either,” Iruka says.

“Well, I won’t unless Sasuke offers,” Naruto replies. “I basically come over whenever I want to, anyway. He probably doesn’t want me around 24/7.”

“Idiot,” Sasuke says, setting down his fork and holding up his hand with the ring on it. “These stand for something, you know.”

Naruto laughs nervously and scratches that back of his head.

“I know, I know, but still.”

Sasuke sighs and puts his hand down.

“You can move in if you want,” he says. “Half your clothes are already at my place, anyway. It’s not like I’ll have to change much.”

Naruto chuckles.

“Fair enough. Thanks Sasuke, I’d love to!” he claims.

Sasuke allows a small smirk to show, but otherwise doesn’t give any indication that he’s happy about this.


	11. Chapter 11

When they go back to living room to start exchanging gifts, Sasuke first goes back to Naruto’s room and grabs a shirt from his fiance’s closet. He pulls it on and it’s just a size too big. He goes back to the living room to find Kakashi holding a gift from Iruka.

“We open our gifts one person at a time,” Naruto explains at Sasuke’s questioning stare.

“I see,” he replies, sitting back down next to Naruto.

They watch Kakashi carefully tear open the wrapping to see a set of ninja stars. His eyes widen and he looks at his husband excitedly.

“Thank you,” he says.

“You’re welcome,” Iruka replies, smiling. “I don’t think you have this set yet.”

“No, I don’t,” Kakashi tells him, staring back at the blades.

“Do you collect?” Sasuke asks.

Kakashi nods.

“Swords, kunai knives, and all kinds of shuriken,” he claims.

“Interesting,” Sasuke responds.

Kakashi puts the gift to his side and smiles with his eyes. Naruto picks a present from under the tree, since he’s closest to it. It happens to be for Iruka, from Sasuke.

Iruka loves it. Sasuke had hoped he would. It seemed like it would suit him, even if mugs are cheesy gifts.

Naruto gets one for himself next. It’s from Kakashi and Iruka. He opens it and finds that it’s a pre-tied bow tie. It’s sky blue, like his eyes.

“Looks like something that would be perfect for a wedding,” Kakashi comments casually.

Naruto chuckles.

“Did you two get this before or after Sasuke told you he was proposing?” he asks.

“Before, actually,” Iruka replies.

“I like it. Thanks,” Naruto says.

They smile at him. The next gift is for Sasuke. It’s from Naruto. The package is small, and flat. Sasuke smirks as he tears the wrapping. His eyes widen when he sees what it is.

“You’re joking,” he breathes.

Naruto grins beside him. Sasuke practically tackles him in a hug.

“Thank you,” he tells Naruto.

His fiance laughs and pushes him off gently.

“Well, we both like them, and since the first thing I ever heard you sing was Girls/Girls/Boys, I figured it could be something kind of special,” Naruto says.

“I love you,” Sasuke replies, staring at the tickets.

“Love you too,” Naruto tells him.

“I’ve never seen Panic! At the Disco in concert,” Sasuke admits.

“Really?”

“Nope.”

“Wow. Well, then it’ll be a first time for both of us,” Naruto replies.

“Yeah. Thanks,” Sasuke says again.

“You’re welcome, babe,” Naruto tells him.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow at him.

“Babe?” he repeats.

Naruto laughs, but he grabs another present from under the tree. He hands it to Kakashi. It’s the books that Sasuke got him. His eyes widen and he looks up at Sasuke.

“These look incredible,” he says.

“Yeah, I’ve read the series. It’s not bad,” Sasuke replies.

“How did you know I like fiction?” Kakashi asks.

Sasuke shrugs.

The next gift is a headband for Iruka, from Naruto. Then Iruka receives a green vest from Kakashi. After that, Naruto gets Sasuke’s gift. He absolutely loves the jacket and puts it on immediately. It suits him surprisingly well. Then Kakashi gets a new briefcase from Naruto. It’s dark leather with a shoulder strap and a flap over the top that secures to the bottom with carabiners. The final gift is to Sasuke from Iruka and Kakashi. It’s a multimedia sketchbook and a pack of blue professional artist markers. After thanks are exchanged, Sasuke and Naruto take a few pictures and compromise on the one to post. It’s got Naruto wearing his new jacket and Sasuke holding up the concert tickets. Naruto’s arm is around Sasuke’s shoulders. Kiba, Sakura, and Shikamaru respond quickly.

Sakura Haruno: You two look great! Love Naruto’s new jacket!  
Kiba Inuzuka: I can’t believe you two get to see P!AtD  
Shikamaru: Congrats on your engagement  
Sakura Haruno: Oh my god I didn’t see the rings at first! CONGRATULATIONS!! :D

Naruto chuckles as he shows Sasuke the comments.

~+~+~+~+~

The four of them go out to a restaurant uptown for dinner. It’s high-end and dimly lit. They’re seated at a booth near the back, Sasuke and Naruto on one side with Kakashi and Iruka opposite. The hostess hands them each a hard-leather bound menu. A few moments later, a waiter comes by and pours each of them a glass of water. He asks them all if he can get them anything to drink.

“A bottle of your best red wine,” Kakashi requests.

“ID please?” the waiter requests.

Kakashi shows him a driver’s license, and Iruka hands one over too.

The waiter looks between the licenses and the two men before he nods and hands them back. He glances at Sasuke and Naruto, who are holding hands on top of the table.

“I assume that this isn’t merely a Christmas dinner?” the waiter asks, smiling slightly.

“No,” Iruka responds. “We’re also here to celebrate their engagement.”

“I see. Well then, a bottle of our finest red wine and four glasses coming out promptly. And congratulations,” he says.

“Thanks!” Naruto replies, grinning brightly. Sasuke smiles appreciatively at his fiance.

The waiter smiles kindly at both of them before he walks away.

“Well, you two can order whatever you want. Don’t worry about the price. We’re paying,” Iruka tells them.

“Really? Thanks!” Naruto says.

Iruka laughs at his excitement and Sasuke smiles softly, squeezing his hand. Naruto looks over at him and Sasuke feels his cheeks warm.

“Hey, Sasuke,” Naruto asks softly. “Do you remember Ferrigno’s?”

“Of course, idiot. What about it?”

“This place kind of reminds you of it, doesn’t it? I mean, obviously this is really classy in comparison, but still,” Naruto says.

Sasuke nods.

“It’s not pouring now, though.”

“Right,” Naruto responds, laughing.

“It is snowing though,” Kakashi comments, looking out the window beside their seats.

The others look out too. It’s true. Big, solid snowflakes are sticking to the ground outside. There’s already about a quarter of an inch.

All four of them watch it fall for a little while, smiling softly.

~+~+~+~+~

The waiter returns in a few minutes with wine glasses and a bottle of wine in a silver ice canister. He sets it on their table and pours each of them a glass of wine. He takes their orders and leaves.

“Merry Christmas,” Kakashi says, raising his glass. “And happy New Year.”

“Cheers,” Naruto replies.

They all raise their glasses and clink them together. They take a sip and Sasuke is the first to raise an eyebrow in appraisal.

“Not bad,” he comments.

“Heh. Alcoholic,” Naruto teases.

“Watch it, usuratonkachi,” Sasuke retorts.

Naruto snickers.

“Well, well. Does Sasuke have a drinking problem?” Kakashi questions.

“No, but his brother buys drinks and leaves them at his place when he visits. Usually he just lets the rest of us drink it, but I have my suspicions,” Naruto claims.

“Shut up. Just because you can barely handle your liquor doesn’t mean I’m the same,” Sasuke says.

“Really? Says the one who took me to a gay club on the first date,” Naruto responds.

Sasuke glares at him, smirking.

“You aren’t saying you didn’t have fun,” he comments.

“So what? Maybe I did,” Naruto says. “Except for getting hit on by Temari’s brothers.”

Sasuke chuckles.

“What do you think she’d do if she found out?” he asks.

“I don’t think I want to find out,” Naruto replies with a shiver.

Sasuke laughs darkly.

“Yeah,” he agrees.

“Who’s Temari?” Iruka asks.

“One of our friends,” Naruto answers. “She’s Shikamaru’s soulmate.”

“I see,” Iruka responds.

“So, how many of your friends have soulmates already?” Kakashi asks.

“Well,” Naruto says, “Ino and Choji are together. Then there’s Temari and Shikamaru. Hinata and Kiba are soulmates and they’ve been dating for a while, but they don’t really act like it. So I think that just leaves Sakura, Sai, Lee, Shino, and Neji.”

“Alright,” Kakashi responds.

“Wait, Hinata and Kiba?” Sasuke asks incredulously.

“Yeah, you didn’t know?” Naruto replies.

Sasuke just stares at him.

“Oh. Well, yeah. They met in middle school. They’re not really obvious about it though, are they?” Naruto chuckles.

Sasuke regains his composure and blinks.

“Hinata’s pretty shy about open physical affection, and Kiba never wants to make her uncomfortable,” Naruto explains. “Who knows what they do when they’re alone together.”

Sasuke vaguely remembers seeing the two of them sneaking off a few times since he’s known them. As far as he’s aware, they have stayed above ducking under lunchroom tables though, which is more than he can say for Naruto and himself.

~+~+~+~+~

The rest of dinner passes smoothly. Kakashi and Iruka learn gradually more and more about Naruto and Sasuke, as well as their friends. In turn, Sasuke gets to know Kakashi and Iruka better.

Eventually, they have all finished their three-course meal and Kakashi pays the bill. They thank their waiter and hostess on their way out. Then they walk back to Kakashi’s car in the snow and Naruto grins. The snow is still coming down in heavy flakes. It’s stuck enough for Iruka to scrape off the windshield. Then they all climb in, Kakashi driving, Iruka riding shotgun, and the newest couple in the back seat.

As they drive, Naruto convinces his adoptive parents to turn on the radio. They do, and upon both Naruto and Kakashi’s request to change it from the local classic rock station to one of the better pop ones, Iruka obliges.

Immediately, Naruto and Sasuke recognize the song, even though it’s only a couple of seconds in. Naruto starts grinning at Sasuke. Sasuke shakes his head almost imperceptibly. Naruto’s grin widens.

“I’m not singing,” Sasuke claims.

“Please?” Naruto begs.

Sasuke glares at his fiance but those damn blue eyes… He curses under his breath.

“Sing with me,” he requests.

Naruto looks startled for a moment, then sheepish. He scratches the back of his head.

“A-Actually, I don’t know about that,” he replies.

Sasuke smirks evilly.

“Oh, now I have to hear this,” he claims.

“You’re evil,” Naruto whines.

“Careful, or we’ll miss the beginning of the lyrics,” Sasuke tells him.

Naruto sighs, but then Sasuke is singing and he forgets that he’s supposed to be annoyed by this as his gaze wanders down to his boyfriend’s lips.

“So we back in the club, get that bodies rockin’ from side to side.”

“Si-side to side,” Naruto echoes.

“Thank God the week is done, I feel like a zombie gone back to life.”

“Ba-back to life.”

“Hands up, and suddenly we all got our hands up. No control of my body.”

As Sasuke sings those lyrics, he lays one hand high on Naruto’s thigh, making his breath hitch and the extremity nearest his fiance’s hand raise slightly. Sasuke smirks as Naruto’s voice stammers on the intro to his line.

“Ain’t I seen you before? I think I’d remember those eyes, eyes, eyes; eyes, e-eyes eyes.”

“Cuz baby tonight! The DJ got us fallin’ in love again. Yeah, baby tonight! The DJ got us fallin’ in love again,” Sasuke sings, watching as Naruto’s eyes widen as Sasuke manages to hold the high note.

In the rearview mirror, Kakashi and Iruka look similarly surprised.

“So dance, dance like it’s the last, last night of your life, life. Gonna get you right,” Naruto responds.

“Cuz baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again.”

Sasuke’s thumb starts moving in circles on Naruto’s thigh.

“Keep downing drinks like this, no tomorrow that’s just right.”

“Now, now, now; now, n-now, now,” Naruto sings.

“Gonna set the roof on fire, gonna burn this mother fucker down, down, down! Down, d-down, down!” Sasuke responds, now turning a little more towards Naruto and letting his other hand brush over Naruto’s hip.

“Hands up. When the music drops, we both put our hands up. Put your hands up on my body.”

Naruto tries to focus on the lyrics as Sasuke watches Naruto’s expression with lust in his eyes. He licks his lower lip and Naruto feels more blood rush south. He swallows hard, barely remembering his line in time.

“Swear I’ve seen you before. I think I’d remember those eyes, eyes, eyes; eyes, e-e.”

Sasuke stops singing and just leans in. He smashes their mouths together messily as the music plays on. Naruto darts his tongue out and grabs the back of Sasuke’s hair gently. Both of them open their mouths slightly to deepen the kiss. Sasuke groans into Naruto’s mouth and they separate when Kakashi clears his throat.

“Sorry,” Naruto pants, wiping saliva from his lips with his dress-shirt sleeve.

Iruka just glances back at them and rolls his eyes.

“At least wait until we’re home,” Kakashi tells them, sounding exasperated.

Sasuke chuckles darkly. Naruto takes his hand between them on the seat, trying to ignore the adrenaline rushing through his body.

~+~+~+~+~

They get back to the house and the snow keeps falling. Naruto and Sasuke all but run inside, Kakashi and Iruka laughing and following them more leisurely. Once all of them get inside, they take off their shoes and hang up their coats on the hooks in the entry hall.

“If you two need anything, you know where it is. Iruka and I will be downstairs watching an action movie with the volume turned up. You two can celebrate your engagement,” Kakashi tells them.

Naruto feels the tips of his ears and nose heat up and Sasuke just smirks.

Iruka and Kakashi head downstair. Sasuke takes Naruto’s hand and pulls him down the hall to his own bedroom. Once the door is shut behind them, Sasuke pins Naruto against the door and kisses him bruisingly.

Naruto kisses back just as desperately, and doesn’t even bother being careful as he unbuttons Sasuke’s shirt. He snaps one of the buttons off and they both hear it roll away, but don’t break the kiss. Instead, as soon as Naruto pushes Sasuke’s shirt back off his shoulders and feels his hot skin, he starts to kiss and nip the side of his fiance’s neck. Sasuke gasps as Naruto bites down on one spot, hard enough to leave a mark but not break the skin.

“Fuck! Naruto,” he breathes, subconsciously rocking his hips forward.

Naruto just hums against his neck and grinds back against him almost painfully.

“Too many clothes,” Sasuke decides aloud.

Naruto hums his agreement and leans back to start unbuttoning his shirt. Sasuke hisses and helps him. They leave it crumpled on the floor and stumble towards Naruto’s bed. Sasuke takes a hold of Naruto’s wrists and pins them over his head on the pillows. Naruto looks up at him with lust in half-lidded eyes.

“My parents are downstairs,” Naruto breathes.

“So what?” Sasuke growls back before closing the distance again and kissing Naruto again.

~+~+~+~+~

Sasuke lies against Naruto’s bare chest while Naruto plays with his hair. Naruto is sitting up against the headboard and the blankets are on top of both of them. After three rounds, both of them are spent and ready to fall asleep. In fact, Sasuke’s eyes are starting to drift closed and he hums when Naruto keeps massaging his scalp. Naruto smiles and kisses the top of his fiance’s dark blue hair.

“I love you,” Naruto murmurs.

“Hm,” Sasuke replies.

They slowly start drifting off to sleep, content together.

~+~+~+~+~

Naruto blinks awake slowly as cold light filters in through his shades. He has a crick in his neck, and sits up. He rolls his head around a few times and massages his shoulders to get rid of it. Then he looks over at the sleeping form of his fiance. Naruto smiles softly. Sasuke scrunches up his features and slowly opens his eyes. He turns and looks up at Naruto.

“Hey,” he says, voice heavy with sleep.

“Hey,” Naruto replies, voice hoarse for different reasons.

Sasuke smirks.

“We should get dressed and shower,” Naruto suggests after a moment.

Sasuke props himself up on one elbow and looks at him shamelessly. Naruto lets his gaze wander over Sasuke’s form below the sheets.

Sasuke pulls Naruto down by wrapping a hand around the back of Naruto’s neck and they kiss.

“Fine,” he responds when they separate.

Naruto breathes out and Sasuke blinks slowly. He eventually decides to sit up and get out of bed. Naruto watches him as he pulls on pajama pants and starts cleaning up the room.

“I’ll take care of that. You go shower. There’s not room for two, here,” Naruto tells him.

Sasuke glances at him, then nods. He sets down the clothes he’s already gathered and leaves the room, grabbing Naruto’s bath robe as he goes. Naruto waits until Sasuke closes the door behind him to get up and finish tidying up. He takes a look out the window after pulling on his favorite pajama pants with ramen and narutomaki all over them. Sasuke returns about ten minutes later and Naruto takes the robe and leaves. Sasuke puts on boxers, dark blue jeans, and a pink t-shirt. He makes Naruto’s bed and walks out into the living room.

Kakashi and Iruka looks at him when he enters.

“So, did you two sleep well?” Iruka asks.

Sasuke nods, heading towards the kitchen to start making coffee. He notices Kakashi and Iruka’s eyes trained on his back, but doesn’t say anything.

“Have you seen the snow yet?” Kakashi asks eventually.

“No,” Sasuke replies.

He finishes pouring the coffee into two mugs and starts to fill one with Naruto’s unnecessary but preferred amounts of sugar and cream, and the other with just a little creamer. He starts to sip from the latter and takes them to the living room. Sasuke sits on the couch, holding both mugs.

Naruto joins them soon and sits down beside Sasuke, happily taking the mug from him. Sasuke glances over at him and sees his wide grin.

“What?” Sasuke asks him.

“Have you looked outside?” Naruto inquires.

“No.”

Naruto’s grin widens and Sasuke narrows his eyes.

“There’s a lot of snow,” Naruto claims.

“And?”

“Let’s go play in it after breakfast!”

“Why?”

“Come on! We can go sledding or something!” Naruto suggests.

Sasuke rolls his eyes.

“What are you, five?”

Naruto laughs and takes another sip of his coffee.

“We still have your old sled,” Iruka claims.

Sasuke and Naruto look over at him.

“Perfect!” Naruto says.

Sasuke sighs.

“I’m not getting out of this, am I?” he asks.

“Nope!” Naruto replies.

Kakashi and Iruka chuckle.

~+~+~+~+~

Eventually, they all eat breakfast. Sasuke makes omelets for everyone. Kakashi does toast. They finish eating and start getting ready to walk across town to the park. Everyone puts on coats and Kakashi gets Naruto’s old sled from the garage. It’s one of the big red plastic ones built for two kids to fit it. They drag it across town and finally get to the hill. It’s already swarming with kids.

Naruto grins and starts to drag the sled up the hill. Sasuke stops him with a hand on his arm.

“If you fall and get yourself hurt I’m saying I told you so and calling Sakura,” Sasuke says.

“Relax, bastard, I’ll be fine,” Naruto replies, batting his hand away.

Sasuke lets him go and watches him climb. Once he’s up there, Sasuke frowns. Naruto waves and climbs into the sled. He pushes off. He fights to keep the sled under control and manages to make it down the hill without running into anyone or anything, with just one close call with a teenage boy. They’re on the side of the hill with trees scattered across it. Sasuke exhales a breath he didn’t realize he was holding once Naruto gets off the sled unharmed and grinning.

He drags the sled back over and takes Sasuke’s gloved hand in his own, pulling him up the hill with him.

“Come on, bastard! It’s your turn now,” Naruto says, laughing.

“Hey! Wait a minute! Usuratonkachi!”

They get to the top of the hill and Sasuke sits down on the sled. He grumbles something about this being stupid right before Naruto shoves him unexpectedly. He yells as he picks up speed and leans back, leaning on the side of the sled to avoid slamming into a tree. Then he leans the other way to avoid a 12-year-old with spiky hair. He barrels down the hill and towards a snow bank. He bails right before he slams into it and gets a mouthful of snow. He sits up and glares up at Naruto, who’s laughing at the top of the hill. Sasuke picks up some snow and rolls it into a ball. He stands up and throws it as hard as he can. It hits Naruto right in the chest, sending him stumbling back a couple of steps.

Naruto looks back at him, grinning. He picks up some snow and throws it towards Sasuke, who dodges it by stepping behind a tree. He makes another snowball and steps out to throw it at his fiance, looking for that familiar messy blonde hair. Naruto ducks and tosses another one. This one hits a middle schooler who throws one back.

Before long, the entire park is engulfed in an every-man-for-himself type snowball fight.

Sleds are abandoned, friendships temporarily dissolved. Mothers and fathers worriedly collect their children who are under the age of seven. Other parents stand on the side of the park laughing, safely out of range. Or so they think.

Kakashi gets hit by Naruto and he joins the fray. Iruka follows not long afterwards, when he gets a snowball to the face courtesy of his husband.

Nobody calms down until about half an hour later. Sasuke and Naruto find each other and stand beside one another, surveying the damage. A little girl is crying by a tree with her mother over her.

“Look at that, bastard. You made a little girl cry,” Naruto teases.

“It’s your fault,” Sasuke retorts.

Naruto chuckles and Sasuke smiles.

Then Sasuke sits down and leans his back against a tree. Naruto goes off and finds their sled, dragging it back over and sitting down in the snow beside Sasuke. He leans his head back and they watch the world for a while.

Then Naruto gets hit in the side of the head again. He turns quickly to see who threw it, while Sasuke just laughs at him.

“Konohamaru!” Naruto calls, recognizing a boy with messy brown hair.

The boy laughs and walks over.

“Yo, Naruto nii-chan,” he says, hands in pockets.

“Konohamaru, I’d like you to meet someone,” Naruto says, glancing at Sasuke. “This is Sasuke.”

“Oh! Hello!” Konohamaru says, bowing slightly.

“Hn.”

Naruto grins.

“He’s an antisocial bastard, but he’ll warm up to you eventually. He did to me,” Naruto claims.

“I didn’t have a choice in the matter,” Sasuke retorts, smirking.

Naruto throws his head back and laughs.

“Fair enough,” he says.

“Naruto, is Sasuke your boyfriend?” Konohamaru asks, smiling.

Naruto nods and holds up his hand to show off the golden ring.

“Fiance,” he tells Konohamaru.

The boy’s jaw drops and he stares at it.

“Woah, you guys are married?”

“Going to be,” Naruto replies.

“Konohamaru! We were looking everywhere for you,” a girl with two orange pigtails says, coming up to him with another boy wearing thick wire-rimmed glasses in tow.

“Sorry, sorry,” he tells her. “Did you guys know big brother Naruto is going to get married?”

“Really?” Moegi exclaims, looking at the two college students in awe.

“Yeah. This guy’s brother wants to help us pay for the wedding, too,” Naruto says.

“Hn.”

“Wow!” Moegi gasps.

“Konohamaru! We must be going. You’ll catch cold if we stay much longer,” a slender man wearing small round sunglasses says, walking over to them.

“But Ebisu-sensei!” Konohamaru whines.

“No buts! We’re going home. I’ll make you hot chocolate,” the man promises, and the three middle-schoolers perk up.

“Nice to see you guys,” Naruto calls.

“You too, Naruto!” they reply, walking away.

Sasuke and Naruto head back home with Iruka and Kakashi, laughing and telling stories about their roles in the snowball fight. Once they get home, they watch a movie and Kakashi makes lunch for them all.


	12. Chapter 12

Naruto won’t go anywhere without the jacket. Sasuke feels a mixture of pride and disgust at that fact. Pride because it was his gift. Disgust because of that hideous orange. Sasuke wishes he had bought a different color, but then Naruto might not like it as much. Orange is his favorite color, after all. 

Sasuke enters the living room on their last morning before they leave and resists the urge to roll his eyes when he gets wrapped up in a hug by his fiance, who is wearing that jacket.

Sasuke eats a couple of the pancakes Kakashi made, with Naruto. Afterwards, they grab their suitcases and load them into Iruka’s car. Then Iruka and Kakashi take them back to the train station.

“Well, come by for a visit whenever you’d like,” Kakashi tells them.

“Thank you,” Naruto tells his foster parents before he gives them a hug.

He turns and takes Sasuke’s hand, smiling. Then he looks back at them.

“I’ll miss you guys. Come visit us some time,” Naruto says.

“We will,” Kakashi promises.

“Please don’t break in at midnight,” Sasuke replies.

“No promises,” Kakashi tells him, smiling behind his mask.

“We should go. See ya,” Naruto says at last, waving goodbye.

Sasuke leads him into the station and eventually to their platform, pulling their suitcase with his free hand. They wait until their train arrives and board it once it does. They find their seats and load their suitcase overhead. Then the train pulls away from the station.

Sasuke took out his laptop and drawing tablet before they put their suitcase up, and now he turns them on and starts to draw. Naruto looks over and watches. A woman comes down the aisle and checks their tickets, stamping them. She glances at Sasuke and Naruto and smiles kindly before she moves on.

The drawing is of Naruto, wearing the jacket, sitting and smiling by Kakashi and Iruka’s fireplace, with a steaming mug in his hands. Naruto leans his head on Sasuke’s shoulder as he starts to clean up the sketch and color it all. About three and a half hours into the trip, all that’s left is shading. Sasuke starts on it and the conductor comes over the loudspeaker to announce the next stop.

It’s theirs.

Sasuke saves his work and turns off his tablet and computer. The train pulls to a stop and Naruto gets their suitcase down for them. Sasuke puts his devices away and they walk off the train, Naruto dragging their bag. They catch a taxi and take it to Sasuke’s apartment.

“Um, Sasuke?” Naruto asks as they enter.

“Yes?”

“When should I… When do you want me to move in?”

Sasuke looks at him.

“It’s up to you. I thought you’d like to stay in the dorms for a while, or at least until the end of the school year, but I don’t care if you move in tomorrow. Care for a drink?”

“Sure,” Naruto replies, sitting down on the couch.

Sasuke pours two glasses of lemonade and brings them to the living room. He sits down next to Naruto on the couch and hands him one of the glasses.

“I guess it makes sense for me to stay in the dorms until the end of the year, but I want to live with you.”

Sasuke snorts.

“What?” Naruto asks him.

“I never thought I’d be this domestic. I don’t even sound like myself anymore,” Sasuke claims.

Naruto chuckles.

“I guess it is pretty funny, huh?” he says.

“A year ago I thought soulmates were complete bullshit,” Sasuke admits, taking Naruto’s hand.

“Yeah, you did,” Naruto replies, grinning.

“We should get back on topic. When are you moving in with me?” Sasuke inquires.

“Um, I have to think about it a little. I’ll need a job to help you pay for rent,” Naruto says.

“True. I think the best plan is that you move in after the school year,” Sasuke tells him.

“Alright,” Naruto agrees.

Sasuke sets down his glass and picks up the TV remote. He turns it on and starts to flip through channels.

“What do you want to watch?” he asks.

Naruto smiles and steals the remote, selecting Itachi’s drama show against Sasuke’s weak protests.

~+~+~+~+~

In the morning, they eat pancakes that Naruto made, and Naruto walks home alone. When he enters his dorm room, Shikamaru looks up at him from his desk, two cans of redbull and his computer open in front of him. The blinds are closed and it’s obvious that he didn't go to bed last night.

“Procrastinate?” Naruto asks him knowingly.

“Yeah. I need to stop doing this to myself,” Shikamaru sighs.

Naruto chuckles. As much as he complained at the time, he’s grateful that Sasuke convinced him to do his homework over break. Today is Sunday, and they go back to class tomorrow.

Sasuke gave Naruto a backpack with some of his clothes to take home, saying, “If you keep leaving your stuff here you won’t have anything left at your place.”

Naruto dumps out the bag on his bed and starts to sift through the clothes. Sasuke washed them. Naruto puts them away while Shikamaru keeps working on whatever essay he’s doing.

Naruto sends Kiba a text, letting him know that he’s back.

Five minutes later, Kiba barged into their room and starts questioning Naruto about his vacation.

“Did your parents make him sleep in a separate room? Was he nice to them? Did you guys go on a date? What’d he give you for Christmas?”

Naruto laughs and holds his hands up in mock surrender.

“I can’t answer all of--”

“What’s that?” Kiba asks, staring at Naruto’s right hand.

Naruto looks.

“Oh, that. We’re engaged,” he answers, showing Kiba the ring.

“Damn, I can’t believe you’re the first one of us to get married,” Kiba mutter.

Shikamaru turns around.

“Congratulations,” he says.

“Thanks,” Naruto replies, smiling. “It was really romantic, too. He took me to his family’s old place, and there was this cliff behind it over a lake and the rest of town. The sun was starting to set, too. It was really nice.”

“I can barely work up the courage to take Hinata on dates,” Kiba mutters.

“She’s your soulmate, man!” Naruto exclaims.

“Yeah, but I just can’t see how I ended up with the likes of her.”

“You need to see a therapist or something to get your self esteem up,” Shikamaru comments.

“Whatever,” Kiba sighs, defeated.

The other two chuckle briefly and Shikamaru goes back to his homework.

“Hey dude, don’t you have anything to do today?” Kiba asks Naruto.

“Nah. Sasuke made me do all my homework over break,” he replies.

“Really? How’d he do that?” Kuba asks.

Back in high school, he and Naruto would try to study together but they always ended up just messing around in the end.

“Sasuke would kill me if he found out I told you, but he promise to cook ramen for me if I got it all done in a day,” Naruto says.

“No way. Isn’t he like some sort of health nut?” Kiba asks.

“Not really. He’s a really good cook, Kiba. Better than me; the bastard.”

“What can’t he do?” Kiba questions, laughing.

“Jeez, I don’t know. I’ve got better taste though, believe it!”

Shikamaru snorts and Kiba just shakes his head sadly at Naruto.

“What?!”

“I hate to break it to you, but I have no idea what taste you’re referring to,” Kiba tells him.

Naruto splutters, indignant. In that time, Kiba steals one of Shikamaru’s redbulls and takes a sip.

“Actually, there’s one way I know I’m better than him with,” Naruto comments.

“Oh? What’s that?” Kiba asks.

He takes another gulp and Naruto grins and says, “I’m bigger than he is.”

Kiba chokes and Shikamaru laughs.

“Oh, Shika, I’m moving in with him at the end of this semester,” Naruto says.

“Congratulations,” Shikamaru replies. “I don’t have to see you coming home every other Sunday either with a limp or a sore throat.”

“It’s not that often!” Naruto claims.

“It is,” Shikamaru tells him. “Now shut up, I have an essay to finish and a nap to take later.”

Naruto chuckles and stands up from his bed.

“Hey Kiba, wanna go hang out in the common room?” he asks.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Kiba says, following Naruto out of the room and down the hall.

They sit down in two of the room’s bean bag chairs.

“Did he give you that jacket?” Kiba asks.

Naruto smiles.

“Yeah, I really like it,” he claims.

“Figures. I guess he knows you well,” Kiba says.

“Yeah, I’d hope so; we’ve been dating for six months and we’re soulmates,” Naruto replies.

“Does he still believe in that dumb conspiracy?” Kiba inquires.

“Nope, he admitted it,” Naruto tells him happily. “Not long after he proposed, actually.”

“It’s kinda weird that he was the one to propose,” Kiba says. “I mean, it just seems kinda unlike him.”

“I’m a bad influence,” Naruto states.

“You are,” Kiba agrees. “Although, I guess I prefer this sappy domestic Sasuke I hear so much about to the smart-ass one I actually meet.”

Naruto laughs.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get to see him the way I know him one day,” he tells his friend. “Sasuke’s sarcasm and standoffishness is just a big act.”

“Wow, two multi-syllable words in a sentence from you? Impressive. His influence must be good for you,” Kiba comments.

Naruto elbows him, smiling.

“Naruto! You’re back!” Lee exclaims, walking over to them.

He sits cross-legged on the floor in front of them.

“So, how was your trip?” he asks.

“I had fun,” Naruto tells him. “How about you? How’s your uncle doing?”

“Uncle Gai is wonderful! He took me on two 15-mile runs!” Lee answers proudly.

“Jeez, how can you do that sort of stuff?” Sakura asks.

She’s standing behind Naruto with a hand on her hip. They look up at her.

“Sakura!” Naruto exclaims. “Sit next to me.”

She rolls her eyes, but takes the bean bag beside him. She leans forward, putter her elbows on her knees, and looks around at her friend.

“Naruto, how’d your plan go?” she asks him.

“Hm? Oh, right. He proposed first, actually. On Christmas Eve. He took me to this cliff behind his house with a really nice view of Konoha,” Naruto responds.

“Wait, you told her?!” Kiba asks.

“Yeah,” Naruto tells him.

“You’re getting married?!” Lee asks, shocked.

“Oh, sorry, yeah,” Naruto says, holding up his right hand with the ring on it.

He lets Lee and Sakura admire it bit. Then his stomach growls and he realizes he hasn’t had anything to eat since they left.

“I’m gonna go eat, anybody coming with me?” Naruto asks, standing up.

“I will,” Sakura replies.

She stands up as well.

“Anyone else?” Naruto inquires.

Lee and Kiba shake their heads, claiming to have eaten not long ago.

“Alright, suit yourselves,” Naruto replies with a shrug. “Let’s go, Sakura.”

She follows him out of their dorm building and across campus to the cafeteria. Naruto buys some microwave ramen and Sakura just orders a sandwich at one of the campus restaurants. They sit down together to eat.

“So, when’d you get back?” Naruto asks.

“Yesterday,” Sakura replies. “I’m assuming that you being engaged to Sasuke also means you’ll be moving in with him soon, correct?”

“Yeah! After this semester,” Naruto answers.

“Sounds interesting,” Sakura comments.

“Come on, he’s really a lot nicer than you all think! He just acts like a bastard. It’s not how he always is,” Naruto claims.

“Could’ve fooled me,” Sakura mutters.

Naruto decides to drop it and keeps eating.

~+~+~+~

By the next day in class, just about everyone in Naruto’s friend group knows about them. Sasuke apparently decides that it’s time for them to meet his friends.

Sasuke comes to the lunch table with three people. One is a red-haired woman with glasses. Another is a man with white hair and sharp teeth. The third is a big guy with orangish-red hair. Sasuke introduces them as Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo, from his art class with Professor Orochimaru. Naruto’s friends make room for them.

“Wait, Karin?!” Naruto exclaims when they’re introduced.

For a moment, she looks at him. Then she sniffs and seems to recognize something because she gasps and points at him.

“Naruto!”

He laughs and pulls her into a hug.

“Nice to see you!” he tells her. “Who knew you were going to college here?”

She laughs with him and slugs his shoulder gently.

“It’s good to see you too, cuz,” she tells him.

“You’re cousins?” Sasuke asks.

“Yep!” Naruto replies, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

She pokes him in the ribs, effectively getting him to release her.

“We met when we were little, thanks to his adoptive parents,” she says.

“Good, I suppose you two were the ones I was most worried about,” Sasuke admits.

“So, this is the lucky guy,” Suigetsu comments, inspecting Naruto. “Doesn’t really seem like your type, Sasuke.”

“You don’t even know my type,” Sasuke retorts.

“Meh, you’re not wrong,” Suigetsu admits, grinning.

Sasuke rolls his eyes and takes Naruto’s hand, intertwining their fingers.

“That jacket still looks terrible,” Sasuke mutters.

“Thanks, I like it too!” Naruto replies cheerfully.

Sasuke sighs and lets go of his hand to eat. Partway through their meal, Itachi calls him.

“What do you want, Aniki?” Sasuke asks.

“It’s our uncle,” Itachi tells him.

“What about him?” Sasuke questions, voice deepening.

“He just escaped from prison.”

“What?!” Sasuke hisses, drawing the attention of his friends.

“I know,” Itachi replies wearily. “They say he melted the handle of the cell’s door and attacked the night guards. They don’t know where he is.”

“That bastard’s supposed to be serving a double life sentence,” Sasuke growls.

“That was the original sentence. His lawyer cut that time in half originally,” Itachi tells him.

“What did he want?”

“He searched for your location. I made sure you wouldn’t appear in any of those kinds of searches, but it’s only a matter of time. I’m sorry, but you can’t stay there. It’s not safe,” Itachi claims.

“No. I won’t leave. If he finds me, so be it. I’m strong enough to defend myself if he tries anything,” Sasuke tells his brother. “For now, all we can do is wait. I’ll call you if anything happens.”

“I’ll do the same,” Itachi says. “Goodbye, otouto. Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

Sasuke hangs up and looks around.

“What was that about?” Naruto asks.

“My uncle has escaped from prison,” Sasuke answers. “And it would seem that he is after me.”

“What? Why?” Naruto questions.

“My brother and I were the only witnesses,” Sasuke admits.

“To what?” Shikamaru inquires.

“The murder of our parents.”

The rest of them stare at him.

“I thought they were killed in a robbery gone wrong,” Naruto says.

“That’s what I told you. Why would I tell you the truth on the first date? At first, our uncle tried to frame my brother, but unbeknownst to him, I saw it happen. He should have been convicted of two life sentences, but his lawyer got him off on half that,” Sasuke tells them.

“So… your crazy uncle is out of prison and wants to track you down, but you refuse to run away?” Sakura clarifies.

“Yes.”

“Can’t Itachi do anything?” Naruto asks.

“He’s done the best he can in hiding me in online searches. Other than that, if Madara hunts me down, there’s not much he can do as long as other people are around,” Sasuke states calmly.

“You mean you’re not worried?” Ino inquires.

“I’ve wanted a chance to show him I’m not the same helpless kid I was back then for a long time now,” Sasuke tells her, a fierce determination in his coal black eyes.

Sakura, Ino, Choji, Karin, and Naruto gulp, the last two blushing.

~+~+~+~

Sasuke doesn’t hear from Itachi or Madara for the next week. He and Naruto go out to a movie on Saturday and spend the night at Sasuke’s apartment. Second semester kicks off smoothly. Orochimaru is having their class work on sculptures, and this guy named Deidara is surprisingly skilled with clay. Sasuke decides to build a mythological beast called the Kyuubi, a nine-tailed fox.

“Hey, what are you working on?” Naruto asks him softly when he wakes up on Sunday morning to find Sasuke sketching.

“Hn.”

Naruto looks at it and whistles.

“That’s awesome,” he comments. “Kakashi used to tell me stories about the Kyuubi.”

Sasuke pauses and turns to look at him.

“What did he tell you about it?” he asks.

“He said that a very long time ago, the Kyuubi destroyed Konoha and the town was rebuilt, better than ever. He also told me that the Kyuubi has nine tails because it survived nine heartbreaks.”

“Interesting. I’ll admit, I didn’t know much about the myth. Thank you,” Sasuke replies.

He turns back to the piece and continues sketching.

“How did you make art when you were still colorblind?” Naruto asks frowning slightly.

“I used shades and only one other ‘color’ as an accent. It’s true that many artists’ careers only begin when they meet their soulmates, but my style was a common one for non-mated artists,” Sasuke tells him.

“Hm. Want some coffee?”

“Sure,” Sasuke replies.

Naruto goes to the kitchen to brew some for the two of them.

~+~+~+~

The next weekend, Sasuke and Naruto stumble into to Sasuke’s apartment after a fun Saturday afternoon around the city but they freeze when they see a man sitting on the couch, sipping wine. The man turns to them as Sasuke sets down his keys.

He has dark hair like Sasuke’s, but longer, and the Uchiha black eyes. He is wearing a dark business suit. He stands and sets his glass on the coffee table before walking towards them. Sasuke instinctively steps in front of Naruto.

“Madara,” Sasuke says calmly. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought you’d be happy to see me,” he responds. “Who might this be?”

He looks at Naruto, who immediately feels fear strike through him. This man is a murderer.

“Leave him alone,” Sasuke growls, an edge to his voice that Naruto has never heard. “It’s me you want, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but he could prove troublesome if he tries to call the police,” Madara claims.

He pulls a knife from his pocket and flips it open. Sasuke bends his knees slightly.

“Get out of here, Naruto. He’ll kill you if he gets ahold of you,” Sasuke whispers.

“No way. I won’t let you fight him alone,” Naruto replies, stepping up beside him.

“Well, you two must be soulmates,” Madara notes. “Funny. I thought you didn’t believe in them.”

“I didn’t.”

“Interesting. Let’s see how you’ve grown, then,” Madara says.

He lunges forward and Sasuke blocks him. He delivers a swift three-hit combo and Madara stumbles back, catching himself on the couch. He kicks at Sasuke in a sweeping motion, which Sasuke jumps over, and returns with a kick to his uncle’s side, but Madara catches his foot. Sasuke falls to the ground with a thud. Madara is about to cut his throat when Naruto tackles him around the waist. They wrestle for a few seconds, until Naruto gets the knife from him and throws it. It slides under the couch.

Madara pushes Naruto off by delivering a dazing punch to his temple and goes for Sasuke again, reaching for his throat. Sasuke kicks him back, and Madara crouches to avoid falling on his back.

“You’re better, but not enough to beat me,” Madara claims.

“Fuck you,” Sasuke growls, glaring.

“That’s no way to talk to your elder,” Madara says.

Sasuke rushes him and gets in two punches before Madara tackles him with his hands around Sasuke’s throat.

Naruto sits up blearily.

“Na… ru… to…”

Naruto snaps awake fully and takes in his surroundings. He growls ferally and leaps at Madara, grabbing him in a headlock. Madara still refuses to let Sasuke go, and he’s beginning to lose consciousness. Naruto lets Madara go long enough to fish the knife out from under the couch. He puts it to Madara’s neck.

“Let him go,” he hisses slowly.

Madara hesitates and slowly releases his nephew. Naruto’s grip on the knife doesn’t falter.

“Stand up very slowly, and back away from him,” Naruto orders.

Madara hesitates and Naruto increases the pressure on the handle. Madara obeys.

“If you try anything, I’ll cut you,” Naruto promises darkly. His voice is deep and predatory.

Sasuke doesn’t seems to be waking up so Naruto pulls his phone out of his pocket and calls Itachi, careful to keep the knife at Madara’s throat.

Itachi answers on the second ring.

“Naruto. Is he there?”

“Yeah, but I’ve got him restrained. Sasuke’s unconscious.”

“Okay. I’ll take the next flight I can get. Call the police, now.”

“Understood,” Naruto replies.

He hangs up and dials 911. After giving them all the information he needs to, Naruto waits. Sirens stop outside the building about ten minutes later, And Naruto keeps Madara restrained with the knife the whole time. Sasuke wakes up about five minutes after the call and ties his uncle’s hands with a belt.

When the police come inside, they arrest Madara, who glares at Sasuke and Naruto as they lead him out, reading him his Miranda rights. Naruto hands them the knife. The police ask if Sasuke would like to press charges and Sasuke tells them yes, he will be filing an assault charge. Naruto agrees with him.

The officers arrest Madara and leave. Sasuke and Naruto face each other when the sirens fade out of earshot. Naruto notices the bruises on Sasuke’s neck.

“Let’s get those iced,” he says.

Naruto goes to the kitchen and finds an ice pack. He wraps it in a dish towel and hands it to Sasuke.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” Naruto asks him.

“I’m fine. Did you call Itachi?”

“Yeah, while you were unconscious,” Naruto answers.

“Good. He’ll be here soon, won’t he?” Sasuke inquires.

“Yes.”

Sasuke nods and sits down on the couch. He glares at the glass his uncle had been drinking from and Naruto sighs, scanning the book shelf. He finds a movie and slides it into the DVD player. Then Naruto sits down on the couch with Sasuke and leans into his shoulder. With a click of his tongue, Sasuke lies back a bit and lets Naruto rest on his chest.

“You’re heavy,” Sasuke comments.

“You do this to me all the time and you don’t hear me complaining,” Naruto retorts.

“Hn.”

The main screen pops up and Naruto starts the movie.

“We’re watching Wall-E?” Sasuke inquires.

“Yes. It’ll get our minds off what happened,” Naruto tells him, pulling a blanket over them.

Sasuke just keeps pressing the ice to his neck.

Not for the first or the last time, they fall asleep together on the couch.

~+~+~+~

Itachi rouses them at ten in the morning when he enters the apartment and flicks their foreheads. They blink their eyes open, rubbing the spot.

“Goodmorning, lovebirds,” Itachi greets, smiling slightly.

“Hn. Itachi,” Sasuke replies.

He tries to sit up but gets pulled back down by Naruto, who groggily mutters something about ninjas.

“Wake up, idiot!” Sasuke tells him. “Itachi’s here. Now’s not the time to be half-asleep.”

Sasuke pinches his cheek and Naruto swats his hand away. Then he sits up and rubs his eyes. Sasuke stands up from the couch and glances around. Naruto sighs and stands up as well. He folds up their blanket and puts it away.

“I brought breakfast,” Itachi tells them, holding up a carton with three coffees and a bag from the nearby bakery.

“Thanks,” Sasuke replies, taking the coffee that Itachi offers him and picking a blueberry muffin out of the bag.

“Yeah,” Naruto agrees, following Sasuke’s example.

Lastly, Itachi takes the last coffee and the final pastry. Sasuke gestured vaguely towards the table and they all go to sit around it.

“So, Madara was here,” Itachi notes.

“Yes,” Sasuke replies.

“Tell me everything that happened.”

“We got home and he was sitting on the couch, drinking a glass of wine,” Naruto says.

“He stood when we entered and set down the glass. We exchanged greetings of a sort, and he pulled out a switchblade, which we turned over to the police already. He came towards us and I told Naruto to run and call the police, which he elected against.”

“I wasn’t just gonna stand by and let him kill you! Actually, I believe I did save your life AND call the police,” Naruto defends.

“Shut up,” Sasuke tells him.

“What happened after Madara came towards you?” Itachi inquires.

“We already gave our statements to the police, you know,” Sasuke says.

“I am aware, but if you wouldn’t mind,” Itachi responds.

Sasuke rolls his eyes and continues.

“I fought him. Naruto helped as well, and tackled him at one point and threw his knife out of reach. Madara threw him off with a hit to his temple and knocked him out for a little while. In that time, Madara got his hands around my throat.”

“When I woke up and saw Sasuke being strangled, I picked up the knife and put it to his throat. I told him to back off, and he did. I kept the knife to his throat and called the police,” Naruto adds. “Sasuke was unconscious for a while, but he woke up before the police arrived.”

“I see,” Itachi replies. “You are filing assault charges, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Sasuke tells him.

“Good. Naruto, you didn’t harm him, which makes things easier. We can explain that you two fought back in self-defense, since you did,” Itachi says.

They nod.

“Thanks for coming out here, aniki,” Sasuke tells him a few minutes later.

“Yeah, and thanks for breakfast,” Naruto adds.

Itachi smiles kindly at them.

“It’s the least I can do for the two of you. I have to fly back to New York for a little while, but Kisame and I will return as your official lawyers before the trial. Maybe we can even get Madara stuck in prison longer than he was originally supposed to be. No doubt, he will also hire a brilliant lawyer, but I’ve asked the other members of Akatsuki not to take a job from him, which means that his options are limited. Unless Pain disobeys me, which is entirely possible.”

“Alright. Thanks again, Itachi,” Naruto says.

“You’re welcome. Be careful though, he still has connections outside of prison,” Itachi warns.

“Don’t worry, we will be,” Naruto tells him.

“Otouto, why didn’t you listen to me when I told you to leave town until the police found him?” Itachi inquires.

“I handled him,” Sasuke replies.

“Yeah, with my help. You would’ve been killed if I weren’t there,” Naruto grumbles.

“Hn. Perhaps, but I wasn’t, was I?” Sasuke retorts.

“Bastard.”

“Usuratonkachi.”

“You’re calling me that, after I saved your life?!”

Sasuke crosses his arms and rolls his eyes.

“Now isn’t the time for the two of you to be fighting,” Itachi tells them harshly. “If anything, I need you to be closer than ever.”

Naruto and Sasuke look at each other and sigh.

“I guess he’s right. I’m sorry, Sasuke,” Naruto says.

“Yeah. Me too,” Sasuke replies.

“Good. Now, let’s get into the finer details of the case.”

**Author's Note:**

> Uh, please check out my more recent work if you like danmei. Thanks for reading!


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